With all of the hype surrounding Pokemon Go right now, the number of APK downloads from third-party websites is increasing. Albeit there are legitimate versions of the Android installation file for this game, not every download should be trusted. Some users have installed a version of the APK which creates a backdoor to the Android operating system. For Bitcoin users, this is not good news, as this method can be obtained to steal wallet funds.
Malicious Pokemon Go APK Files Are A Threat
It has been some time since the whole world got excited over anything related to Pokemon. The new mobile game for Android is creating a social media buzz, unlike anything the world has ever seen before. Unfortunately, the game is not available in every region of the world just yet. For example, European users will have to wait a few more days before downloading the official version.
It is possible to download the Pokemon Go APK file from third-party websites, such as APK Mirror and others. This particular website is reliable when it comes to hosting these files, as they are usually free of malware and virii. However, other platforms offering this download may be serving a malicious version of the application.
As one would come to expect from such a scenario, there will be users who download the malicious version of Pokemon Go on their device. Most of these versions are packed with a remote access tool, giving hackers a backdoor to these devices. While the end user may not notice anything malicious is going on, the consequences could be quite dire.
These consequences are somewhat limited, albeit it is not fun to have an application intercept text messages or making phone calls. But there is no telling as to what these remote access tools are capable of. It is not impossible for criminals to empty users’ Bitcoin wallets installed on their mobile device.
Even the official version of Pokemon Go is facing a lot of scrutiny right now. The application is asking for a lot of device privileges, not all of which make sense to more experienced Android users. Accessing the camera and location is only normal for this type of game. But that doesn’t justify accessing the contacts list, text messages, or locally stored media outside of the game folders.
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