{"id":15085,"date":"2019-04-12T10:10:02","date_gmt":"2019-04-12T18:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2019\/04\/12\/news-8834\/"},"modified":"2019-04-12T10:10:02","modified_gmt":"2019-04-12T18:10:02","slug":"news-8834","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2019\/04\/12\/news-8834\/","title":{"rendered":"Fake Instagram assistance apps found on Google Play are stealing passwords"},"content":{"rendered":"

Credit to Author: Nathan Collier| Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2019 17:40:55 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n

We all want those Instagram <\/em>likes and followers. Many apps on Google Play claim they can assist you with that effort. But what if the app that\u2019s supposed to be helping you is also stealing your username and password?  <\/p>\n

As a matter of fact, that\u2019s exactly what we found in three fake Instagram assistance apps still available on Google Play at the time of this writing. Moreover, these fake apps are targeting Iranian users. Malwarebytes already detects the malicious apps as Android\/Trojan.Spy.FakeInsta<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s in a like?<\/h3>\n

As the psychology of social media reveals how addicting it can be to receive likes <\/em>and even better, followers, on platforms such as Instagram, users often look for shortcuts or other ways to game the system in order to get that rush of dopamine.  <\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Instagram assistance apps come into play\u2014Google Play, that is! Apps that claim to boost your likes <\/em>and increase your followers are an attractive notion, especially when building a thriving Instagram account organically can take months or even years. Malware authors are great opportunists, and there is certainly a lot of opportunity to exploit when it comes to creating account-stealing fake apps.<\/p>\n

InstaStolen account<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s use an app named Followkade as a case study of this new-found Instagram credential stealer.<\/p>\n

App Name: Followkade<\/p>\n

Package Name: <\/em>com.followkade.insta<\/p>\n

Installs: 50,000+<\/p>\n

Reviews: 4.0 out of 6,999 total respondents<\/p>\n

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As you can see, it’s a highly-rated app with thousands of downloads and reviews. Customers on Google Play looking to determine the app’s legitimacy would be none-the-wiser.<\/p>\n

After install, the app opens to a splash page, and then a page asking for Instagram credentials.<\/p>\n