An app recently available on the Google Play store that appeared to be a download for wallpapers, videos, and music was actually an SMS trojan-type app.
The package name “ com.FREE_APPS_435.android” tricked victims into allowing the app to access text messages (SMS), according to a Malwarebytes blog post. If a user clicked through the app from the Google Play homepage to the developer’s website, they would only see two banners and links.
The banners advertised downloadable content that users could receive by sending a text message to a special SMS number. This message ultimately subscribed the user to a daily feed that cost 37 cents per day.
Malwarebytes researchers have flagged this trojan , and similar variants, as Android/Trojan.SMS.Agent.
This application was last updated in 2013 and was removed from the Google Play store on November 13, following notification by experts.
