Pleasure For Password? Govt Warns Of Porn Apps On Instagram, Facebook Ads Hijacking Phones & Stealing Bank Details
Meta took down dozens of Facebook and Instagram ads after India flagged a pattern of these ads using sexually explicit or porn content to lure users into downloading malicious Android apps capable of stealing banking credentials and draining bank accounts. The names of some of these apps are 'Night Play, Reloop, Kyss, and Vimo. Users are advised to not download any of these apps, as they could…
India's National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) issued a warning about malicious Android apps disguised as pornography, being spread through Facebook and Instagram ads. These apps, such as Night Play, Reloop, Kyss, Vimo, Rivo, Nexo, Vixa and other similar variations, aim to steal banking credentials and drain bank accounts.
The apps can gain deeper access to devices by requesting permissions to install additional apps and misuse Android's accessibility features. They can secretly access stored information, capture one-time passwords and bank PINs, and transfer money out of accounts without the user's knowledge. Some apps also install a VPN component, routing all of a device's internet traffic through their own servers, which exposes data transmitted from the phone.
Despite the Indian government's advisory, Reuters found that Meta still had at least 39 such ads active, many featuring sexually explicit video thumbnails to draw clicks. Meta promptly removed all flagged ads upon detection.
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