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Android phone users should keep themselves away from this PDF reader app which sends advertisements to earn money. Know all details about this nasty Android malware app.
You might have heard about this app or maybe must have used a similar sounding app – PDF reader app. We are talking about this specific dodgy app named ‘PDF Reader – documents viewer’ by Fairy Games on Google Play Store, which has become an app of concern for all Android phone users. According to cyber security company Malwarebytes, a newly discovered adware pops up advertisements on your Android smartphone even if the app is not being used. The worrying part is that it has been available on the Google Play Store since November 2021 and has over a million downloads.
Malwarebytes informed via a blog that “A PDF reader found on Google Play with over one million downloads is aggressively displaying full screen ads, even when the app is not in use. More specifically, the reader is known as PDF reader – documents viewer, package name com.document.pdf.viewer. As a result, this aggressive behavior lands it in the realm of adware.”
This behavior makes it difficult to identify and remove the source of the pop-up ads on the device, which are bombarded on the user’s phone quite frequently. Every single time an ad is shown on an Android device, the fraudsters behind this app earn a small amount of money. Those minor earnings can add up to a huge amount considering that over a million people have downloaded it.
How does this PDF reader malware app work?
Once users install this nasty app, called “PDF reader – documents viewer”, it takes a couple of hours before starting to show these ads. Once the owner of the phone unlocks it to check, it shows up as a full-page ad. Shortly, another ad in the form of a video shows up afterwards, and it just continues with more ads.
What should Android users do
- To avoid being a victim of such malware apps, make sure that your Android software is up-to-date.
- Think twice before you click a download on any such app even from the Google Play Store. Despite the fact that Google keeps an eye on such adware and malware, several other malicious apps may make their way onto the Play Store every year.
- Also, do perform a manual virus scan on downloaded files before you open them.
- Read about the app developers before downloading such apps.
- Cybersecurity experts mentioned that “There are many good PDF readers on Google Play. However, this one has some oddities signaling red flags right from the Google Play Store description.”
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