Malware that secretly steals money from users has been downloaded by millions of people. The software is intentionally designed to steal money without people realizing they have been the victims of a theft.
“ExpensiveWall” is software designed to cheat users out of their money without them realizing it. The malware was hidden in at least 50 apps in the Google Play store. The malware’s been dubbed ExpensiveWall after hiding inside wallpaper apps. (A list of apps can be found further down.)
According to the Check Point researchers who discovered it, ExpensiveWall has been downloaded between one million and 4.2 million times but since it’s hidden in apps, it is difficult to tell exactly how many have been affected.
“The malware registers victims to premium services without their knowledge and sends fraudulent premium SMS messages, charging their accounts for fake services,” the researcherssaid.“In some cases, the SMS activity takes place without giving the user any notice. In other cases, the malware presents the user with a button called ‘Continue’, and once the user clicks the button, the malware sends a premium SMS on [their] behalf.”
Several of those who unintentionally installed the malware tried to warn others by leaving review messages that said things like “scam” or “It is NOTHING like the ad on Instagram tey [sic] lie to you DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT.” “The comments indicate that the app(s) are promoted on several social networks including Instagram, which might explain how it came to be downloaded so many times,” said Check Point.
The ExpensiveWall apps requested a number of permissions from users after being downloaded, including internet, and SMS access. These are fairly common permissions that most users wouldn’t think twice about granting, but allowed ExpensiveWall to operate.
However, Check Point says it could have caused a lot more damage.
“While ExpensiveWall is currently designed only to generate profit from its victims, a similar malware could be easily modified to use the same infrastructure in order to capture pictures, record audio, and even steal sensitive data and send the data to a command and control (C&C) server,” it said.
“Since the malware is capable of operating silently, all of this illicit activity takes place without the victim’s knowledge, turning it into the ultimate spying tool.” –Independent UK
The following apps have the ExpensiveWall malware infected. If you have any of the following, Check Point says you should remove the app from your device immediately.
- I Love Fliter
- Tool Box Pro
- X WALLPAPER
- Horoscope
- X Wallpaper Pro
- Beautiful Camera
- Color Camera
- Love Photo
- Tide Camera
- Charming Camera
- Horoscope
- DIY Your Screen
- Ringtone
- ดวง 12 ราศี Lite
- Safe locker
- Wifi Booster
- Cool Desktop
- useful cube
- Tool Box Pro
- Useful Desktop
- ดวง 12 ราศี Lite
- Horoscope2.0
- Yes Star
- Shiny Camera
- Simple Camera
- Smiling Camera
- Universal Camera
- Amazing Toolbox
- Easy capture
- Memory Doctor
- Tool Box Pro
- Reborn Beauty
- Joy Photo
- Fancy Camera
- Amazing Photo
- Amazing Camera
- Super Wallpaper
- DD Player
- Fascinating Camera
- Universal Camera
- Cream Camera
- Looking Camera
- DD Weather
- Global Weather
- Love Fitness
- Pretty Pictures
- Cool Wallpapers
- Beauty Camera
- Love locker
- Real Star
- Magic Camera
- Wonder Camera
- Funny Camera
- Easy Camera
- Smart Keyboard
- Travel Camera
- Photo Warp
- Lovely Wallpaper
- Lattice Camera
- Quick Charger
- Up Camera
- Photo Power
- HDwallpaper
- Wonderful Games
- BI File Manager
- Wallpapers HD
- Beautiful Video-Edit your Memory
- Wonderful Cam
- useful cube
- Ringtone
- Exciting Games
- Replica Adventure
- GG Player
- Love Camera
- Oneshot Beautify
- Pretty Camera
- CuteCamera
- Cartoon Camera-stylish, clean
- Art Camera
- Amazing Video
- Fine Photo
- Infinity safe
- Magical Horoscope
- Toolbox
- Cute Belle
- CartoonWallpaper
- Ringtone
- Best Camera
- Colorful Locker
- Light Keyboard
- Safe Privacy
- Enjoy Wallpaper
- File Manager
- Fancy locker
- Cute Puzzle
- Smile Keyboard
- Vitality Camera
- Lock Now
- Fancy Camera
- Useful Camera
- Vitality Camera
- Sec Transfer
- Lock Now
- Magic Filter
- Funny Video
- Amazing Gamebox
- Super locker
- Music Player
And then people think im crazy for wanting electronics to just stop working and the lights go out,,,
Nail,
I have a lot of electronics.
4 computers, a smart phone, Satellite
TV, and Internet.
My Mazda is a Gas engine run by computer.
My VW is a Diesel run by computer.
My Nissan farm truck is run by computer.
I have many sorts of radios and entertainment
systems, all have computers.
All are EMP proof, by design.
If you don’t do stupid this stuff works great
and cannot be hacked.
Never put personal stuff out into the Internet
like people do on Facebook, Twitter, and et al.
There is no need to go back to the Kerosene
and cord-wood days(although I’m set up to do so).
Technology is an excellent force multiplying tool.
Hurricane Maria now cat5
160mph winds
Headed for Puerto Rico
Supplies are being rationed
-Drudge Report
i like red dot sights, but not on my combat weapon
I was at a local college campus a while back and we noted that they have solar powered trash cans. (???)
I don’t think you’re crazy. I wholly agree with you!
Mankind can live without the bells and whistles that technology gives us now. Stripped down functional technology works fine, but what we have today is mostly tricked out super luxurious Cadillac technology that is easily manipulated, especially when the morons using it are scarcely smarter than a box of rocks and so narcissistic that they don’t care. if they be fleeced…then so what? But I also agree with you. Technology has become mankinds master. Pull the plugs, its time for mankind to start over and keep technology in check and useful instead of in charge and everything that caters to the fads and lazy.
Wow now i am so glad i don’t own a smart phone. I only have a cheap Trac phone. Of course i only have one or two people who call/text me so most of the time i leave the phone off and inside a metal can. I don’t need a photo phone. I have a camera. I don’t need to watch a movie – i do it on my dvd player…i don’t need to go on the Internet on the phone -cuz i have a desk computer at home. I only need the phone to call or text people which i rarely do…i have a landline for that. The cell is mostly for if the car breaks down and i need to call AAA. So most of the time it is turned off.
I’ve said the same thing many a time. If (actually when) the lights go out, I’m perfectly happy and certainly still have plenty to do without electric. Okay, I miss AC in the summer and hate things getting that soggy feel from humidity. Winter is fine since I have assorted camping gear to work with.
I find it humorous that various neighbors claim boredom without electric. Not so funny is their inability to function without electric.
As for electronics, I have a very basic assortment. My PC is for the internet; my phone while a smartphone is primarily phone and has no apps added to it. I do not co-mingle their functions. My TV is an old tube version so I don’t believe it can be hacked. My car is automatic nothing. No smart appliances either.
Oh, the only selfie stick I own is a hiking stick. 😀
While I can appreciate all the things that electronics can do, I’m also very aware of the dangers they present. Even in highly protected environments, things happen due to the human factor. This means people get tired, forget, become careless, or simple are sloppy in their care which opens a space for the bad guys to get in.
This type of stuff will be the “special” part of the digital special drawing right coming to replace the FRN. That is if the gold backed yuan doesn’t beat it. I know which one is more attractive to me. The race is coming into the home stretch. Looks like a blow out.
Don’t bet the ranch on a gold backed yuan. Details are sketchy at best and supposedly it will be linked to oil trades, so that doesn’t include the masses.
Any gold backed currency, including a gold backed yuan, will share the fate of the gold backed dollar. Upon that, you CAN bet the ranch, Grandpa. 🙂
WTI and Brent will be delegated to the history books. We might want to put up a statue to remember them. This move by China introduces gold into the SDR basket. A quaint sound the tinkling of metal is but the noise will be deafening. Your premise assumes the western banking oligarchs prevail and that there will be some sort of debt jubilee. I went long on physical gold decades ago. The ranch is paid for and the stash stills pays the taxes even with the manipulation. The LBMA benchmarks for Ag and Au will be stated in Yuan soon. Buy oil with US fiat sell to China in Yuan and covert Yuan to gold in Shanghai. New alchemy for the western world of suspended reality. I once paid off a fiat equity loan with bullion and during negotiations with the Bankers I remember them stating this would be much easier if The bullion price was tied to a commodity rather than the COMEX benchmark. I was dumbfounded at this statement but the transaction was completed. Well now it is tied to reality and I know that is a bitter pill to swallow. Gold is money everything else is debt. One ring to rule them all. We should of listened to our Founders. I have and it has served me well and your caution is well appreciated. I only bet on the failure of fiat.
LMFAO!! Durango kiddy so misinformed. He says: Don’t bet the ranch on a gold backed yuan. Details are sketchy at best and supposedly it will be linked to oil trades/
Let me skool ya dkiddy. Russia and China are already trading Billions in oil for Yuan backed by Gold. Venezuela is now trading oil for Gold Backed Yuan. You have been asleep for a year here on this.
At least you are now acknowledging the Yuan is backed by Gold. Now Pay Mac $100 as you lost the bet.
Corn soybeans getting picked weird cus its like a month early. No rain for past month+ trees turning early also temp this week 87-90 not right for harvest season
GS
Remember here in the Marseilles Ottawa Illinois area we had Tornadoes Feb 28Th and weather was warm then and I put in my garden the 5 of march. (Potatoes, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, onions and Garlic). Had every thing, the sweet Potatoes. I was looking at some bean fields and they are about 2 weeks away.
I HATE winter. I just hope it won’t be an early one.
Sgt.
Unusual weather in the U.S. and elsewhere…
We know about the destruction caused by recent hurricanes in the Caribbean, Texas, Louisiana and Florida. The western part of the U.S. and Canada have seen terrible wildfires.
There has also been major devastation from disasters in other countries. A heatwave named “Lucifer” has been affecting numerous countries in Europe, including Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, and parts of France. The extreme heat and (for some) drought has resulted in greatly reduced crops for farmers.
Flooding from horrible monsoons in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal have killed over 1,200 and left MILLIONS homeless. Due to the massive amounts of water and landslides, many areas are cut off. Crops have been destroyed and people are without clean water. A recent article said over 16 MILLION are affected. I believe disease will follow.
Praying for all those affected by recent disasters. I urge everyone to pray.
@GS
We set a record low temp in Aug. and now it’s hot again.
The reason crops are being harvested early is because it was a banner year… price won’t be worth a crap.
Some were harvesting in August because of the optimal growing season but then Irma and Harvey came along got everything soaked.
Nobody’s gonna put money into drying it ( again the price is gonna be crap) or most would have done harvested.
Yep it’s weird.
When the squirrels pull acorns from the trees and just drop them to the ground to bury( instead of waiting for them to fall naturally) …it usually means an early winter.
Well ok it’s at least as accurate as NOAA’s magic eight ball.
With that said
———————————-
One day without advanced notice a Fed shows up at the old farmers house.
He tells the old farmer ” I want to inspect all of your fields”.
The old farmer replies… “You can inspect all of them but one and I don’t want nobody in that field”.
The Fed pulls out his badge…. shows it to the farmer and says “I will inspect any damn field I want to”.
So of course the first field he went to inspect was the one the old farmer didn’t want him in.
The Fed got about out to the middle of the field when a huge Bull came running over the hill charging straight at him.
The Fed took off running , yelling (((HELP ))) (((HELP)))
The old farmer yelled back ((( Show Him Your Badge))) ?
Nomadic, LOL! Good one!
the NRA has been steeling money for a long time. fraud is when you exchange money for a service that the NRA had no intention of providing namely taking a stance for the second ammendment which includes more than squirrel guns.
I noticed that too…the harvest has come several weeks early. I am not ashamed to say it is regional climate change, but man has nothing to do with it unless we are screwing it up through weather warfare and modification..Man made emissions has nothing to do with the chemicals dumped in the air and the HAARP manipulations they keep denying.
Nailbanger, that day will come when we least expect it.
Braveheart, I am so thankful for every extra day to prep, until that day.
Justice, same here. I keep on stacking until the balloon goes up. Get all you can while you still can.
…and not soon enough.
Bad news for users, but nice work on the part of SHTFPlan and Mac! More information we can actually use, now that the fake leftist media has abdicated their former role of disseminating information to help the public be informed.
My phone has 2 apps,
1.It makes calls
2.It receives calls
That’s it,seems to work out just fine.
99.9% least expect it now!
They say if you have money in a big bank, get it out….cause they can take it, and force you to buy shares in the bank to bail them out. But what if you have a mortgage and car loan, and need that money to pay the notes? Guess what….then you don’t have to pay the notes either. They now have been forced to buy ‘shares’ in your home and car, to bail you out. In other words, you don’t pay the system (debts) if they stole your money.!!!!!
You can be as careful as you can be with your personal information, but when companies store that information on theit systems, you are vulnerable. With all these hacking jobs of millions of identities, it is a wonder that everyone’s identity hasn’t been stolen.
My wife works on computers. She told me the only way they can do this is to take low amounts out at a time. If it more that $100.00 there is an alert on her an my account.
Looking at this there are millions of accounts. They could be raking in millions a day if they stay under $100.00.
So folks keep a close eye on your accounts. This is why I only keep small amounts in it to just cove my monthly expenses.
Sgt.
They could be raking in millions a day if it were less than a dollar a day per computer. 🙁
Hi Sarge,
My experience has been,
that that the bank is even
touchier than that(at least mine is).
I use mostly on-line banking.
I have been locked out so many times
I can’t remember the count.
I’ve never been ripped off with Credit
card usage, as they shut it down.
Perhaps I’m easier to figure out
Because of where I live, my age, retirement
status but they seem to be on it.
I recently ordered some Solar panels, I spent
nearly an hour on the phone convincing the VISA people
to make payment, because they thought
it was suspicious.
R
That is good. Better to be safe than sorry.
What type & size of panels did you get. Are you going to run them off of deep cycle or are you going to set up a house running unit?
Sgt.
When I have panels and
batteries on hand I’ll
explain in detail.
Panels 330 Watts
LiFePo4 batteries.
Second that. I was wonderin too. Let us know, Thanks
Montana already had the first snow fall two weeks ago. Temps here (mid west) have been cooler than normal barely over 90* all summer. While some towns in Arizona had temps as high as 122* in July.
My intuition tells me by mid October my town could be up to its wahzoo in snow.
Pray that we don’t get snow like Houston got rain…..(51 inches). One inch of rain is equal to…. what… 4 inches of snow? That would be about….(oh God help us). That is over the roof? Check your preps. Guess I better stock up and just throw a mattress over some cases of beans cuz it’s gonna be impossible for anyone to venture out!
Besides those beans will create some serious hot air… right? (I know, I’m bad. ?)
Lol… probably never happen…….but hey…just in case….
I have blocked google many times from my computer. Don’t / won’t use that spyware ever. They are part ot obummers spy team, involved in Egypt & muzzy bros ‘Egyptian Spring’ riots several years ago. They are Sorrrossss/NWO Communists. Never buy or use that spyware.
Sarge, same here. I go to the ATM EVERY DAY to check my account balance. When you check your balance, have the ATM print a receipt with the balance on it. That way if you have any suspicions you can go inside to the teller or other bank employee to have it checked out. If there’s an issue, sometimes it can be resolved on the spot but other times it takes longer than you like. I speak from experience.
The 15Th commandment. Cover Thy Ass!!!!
CYA!!!!!
Sgt.
I just open my wallet to check my account balance. Pretty safe and simple…
Gotta love the best option for banking – CASH.
Have no smart phone, no apps, no facebook, no twitter, none of that crap. Problem pretty much solved.
Same here
Install Linux on a boot only CD, a version of Umbuto works well. It creates a new unhacked shell every time it’s restarted. Have at least one Linux computer if you can afford one.
Never use a password app that manages your passwords. One or more of these apps have already been hacked, bad guys got passwords to millions of bank accounts. Write passwords on paper, keep a copy in your bank vault or home safe. Never leave passwords on or near a computer, thrives look for them now. If they have time they’ll use your own printer to copy them leaving the original where you left it. They’ll rob you at their convenience.
Use a different password for every site. Use complex passwords. Don’t use words, there are only 20,000 common words in the English language, word based passwords are easily hacked. I like acronyms, like my neighbor smells like two pigs in heat= “mnsl2pih” I also like to mix words converted to numbers using a phone keypad.
Be paranoid, trust no one on the Internet.
If you can afford more than one, have a computer just for financial stuff, and another for fun and entertainment.
PTPO,
I run Ubuntu 16.04 and 14.04
in 32 and 64 bit, on 3 machines.
I understand that is not normal.
Your advice about keeping
one machine( in my case a windows10 for the wife)
for fun and the others for business
is wise!
Some time ago a guy asked why I have
5 chainsaws , I just seem to accumulate
things and I can fix stuff.
Perfect prepper neighbor.
I can fix things pretty well too.
I have the original garden tractor my dad bought when I was about 4…. Needless to say it’s pretty old and still starts on the first pull. It has a moldboard plow, a tiller and a snow plow attachment that is the cats meow in deep wet snow that breaks snow blowers.
I planted some trees in my local hard pan soil. I blocked the tractors tires, put it in neutral and stood on the tiller while it ground through the stuff some call soil. I took a quarter of that soil added peat, cow manure and wood chips from my mulch pile. The fruit trees are growing fine. And the tractor still runs. The rest of the soil was sold as is. The abuse I give this poor tractor and it still returns the love.
I did finally break down and buy a new snowblower. The old one was used and was 45 years old.
I feel like such a slut buying a brand new one……..
Dad’s chainsaw finally died, but my neighbor gave me one missing parts, that were $20 on eBay….. It runs fine now. I had bought a HF electric because as long as you have power, electric is fool proof. I really like Harbor Freight’s chain saw sharpener, and I recommend it when they put out a coupon on it.
A neighbor once gave me a broken $150 leaf blower. Within an hour, I came out of the garage and told the wife it was running like champ at no cost. It just took a good carb cleaning. She forbid me from using it for two weeks lest I embarrass my neighbor.
We live in a technological world, with lots of gizmos. I realized at a young age I did not want to be a slave to modern technology. I learned to read manuals. To this day I still do all my own work on cars, and frankly everything else, one of them is a Hybrid car that the dealer has only seen during recalls. They are baffled. They spend tens of thousands to educate mechanics. I bought $200 worth of critical factory manuals. It ain’t that tough.
To young Americaans I have to say, when I was young there was no such thing as YouTube. I often had to do it the hard way. Today you can see a problem in your home or car, watch the right videos on YouTube and just fix it. You have this wonderful tool at hand, don’t be a salve to technology.
Sound advice that everyone needs to know. And for more opsec, use TOR. Even better, use TAILS.
Plan,normally would agree with you,but,as I trust no one on the internet,well……..
WD,
?
You have 22 apps waiting approval the phone says. I ignore it.
Every single post awaiting moderation. Oh that’s right I did not post for half this day so who the hell am I. Entering the twilight zone. What you say can and will be held against you. Fence me off over here in the no free speech zone.
Phone companies, energy companies and cable companies just keep on tacking on fees. Small fees add up to very big thefts over time. I kicked cable tv to the curb years ago because of the never ending fees.
Im hoping the gold backed yuan will hasten the demise of the Created out of thin air USA digital Petro Dollar. Its digital money not even any paper & ink IOU paper money. There are two exchanges in China where you can walk in and trade Yuan for gold coins. Until that commie roosevelt forbid the private citizens owning gold. You cold walk into any bank and trade twenty dollars in cash for a $20 gold coin.
For the list of apps – are they andriod or Apple? Also, there are many apps with basically the same names. How do we find the one that is infected to be sure we don’t have it? I looked in apple App Store and there is not enough information to ensure I find and delete them. The logo they have, the exact name and the developer would be useful information.