{"id":1140,"date":"2014-04-28T18:43:53","date_gmt":"2014-04-28T13:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.konstantinfo.com\/blog\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2019-07-26T15:58:31","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T10:28:31","slug":"malware-google-play-store-secretly-mines-bitcoin-android-devices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.konstantinfo.com\/konstant-blog\/malware-google-play-store-secretly-mines-bitcoin-android-devices\/","title":{"rendered":"Malware on Google Play Store Secretly Mines Bitcoin on Android Devices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is your Android device secretly being used to mine Bitcoin and reducing its battery and lifespan? Even if you\u2019re thinking, that\u2019s not possible since you only use the Google Play Store to download apps, let me assure you its quite possible. It has recently been discovered that Google has removed as many as 5 different apps from their Play Store that posed as innocent wallpaper and music apps, while secretly mining Bitcoin for the owners and reducing the device\u2019s lifespan.<\/p>\n

For those of you who are as yet unaware of exactly what Bitcoin is \u2013 here is the Cliff\u2019s Notes version. Bitcoin<\/a> is essentially a form of digital currency. It\u2019s the same as regular currency, but for the Internet, meaning it can be used for online transactions at outlets that accept Bitcoin. Since the software is open source, there are a lot of people \u2018mining\u2019 Bitcoin. Mining is the process through which Bitcoin is created and accumulated. While Bitcoin mining can be carried out on regular PCs and Smartphones, it is not feasible to the profit to cost ratio, which is the primary reason for the existence of this malware.<\/p>\n

The malware basically uses the processor of the device to secretly and continuously mine for Bitcoin, which affects not only the battery levels of the device but also its lifespan. Additionally, the phone becomes sluggish and is unable to process multiple applications due to processor overload. Turning off the phone\u2019s display does not help either since the malware contains permission to prevent the device from going into sleep mode, which facilitates mining even when the phone is locked and the display switched off.<\/p>\n

From the looks of it, the author of the malware is part of a group of miners who pool their resources together to create an effective chain of mining devices. Considering that the most popular of these 5 apps had been downloaded over a million times before being removed, the miners must have made a tidy amount of profit. Luckily for user\u2019s of affected devices, Google has a strict \u2018Dangerous products\u2019 clause when it comes to developing Android apps<\/a> for the Google Play Store. According to this clause, Google does not allow any \u201ccontent that harms, interferes with the operation of, or accesses in an unauthorized manner, networks, servers, or other infrastructure.” This obviously includes software that performs hidden functions that potentially harm a device.<\/p>\n

So, it seems that the fraudulent apps have been stopped and good has triumphed over evil. Or has it? Currently, Smartphones are in a constant state of flux towards achieving more and more powerful capabilities. This makes them a target for unsavory individuals, who can possibly use this power for more nefarious purposes, similar to the Bitcoin mining malware. Given the increasing popularity of mobile devices today, it is expected that more and more Bitcoin miners will try to take advantage of the micro-computer in your pocket.<\/p>\n

By: [googleplusauthor]<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is your Android device secretly being used to mine Bitcoin and reducing its battery and lifespan? Even if you\u2019re thinking, that\u2019s not possible since you only use the Google Play Store to download apps, let me assure you its quite possible. It has recently been discovered that Google has removed as many as 5 different… Continue reading Malware on Google Play Store Secretly Mines Bitcoin on Android Devices<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,150],"tags":[216,218,217],"class_list":["post-1140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobile-app-development","category-technology","tag-bitcoin","tag-google-play-store","tag-malware","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nMalware on Google Play Store Secretly Mines Bitcoin on Android Devices - Konstantinfo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Google has recently removed as many as 5 apps from their Play Store that were posing as innocent wallpaper and multi-media apps to secretly mine Bitcoin, thereby harming the physical components of Android phones.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.konstantinfo.com\/konstant-blog\/malware-google-play-store-secretly-mines-bitcoin-android-devices\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Malware on Google Play Store Secretly Mines Bitcoin on Android Devices - Konstantinfo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Google has recently removed as many as 5 apps from their Play Store that were posing as innocent wallpaper and multi-media apps to secretly mine Bitcoin, thereby harming the physical components of Android phones.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.konstantinfo.com\/konstant-blog\/malware-google-play-store-secretly-mines-bitcoin-android-devices\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Konstantinfo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100000171764372\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-04-28T13:13:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-07-26T10:28:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.konstantinfo.com\/konstant-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/android_malware_banner.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"810\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Manish Jain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@konstantinfo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@konstantinfo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Manish Jain\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.konstantinfo.com\/konstant-blog\/malware-google-play-store-secretly-mines-bitcoin-android-devices\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.konstantinfo.com\/konstant-blog\/malware-google-play-store-secretly-mines-bitcoin-android-devices\/\",\"name\":\"Malware on Google Play Store Secretly Mines Bitcoin on Android Devices - 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