Scam found pushing unwanted apps that can intercept texts

A new scam has been spotted that uses legitimate porn sites to spread potentially unwanted apps.

Trend Micro reported the malware has been found on the iOS and Android platforms and is primarily spread through promotions on porn sites, forums and advertisements. So far it has mainly been found in China, Japan and Taiwan, but has also popped up in Germany.

While the malware is spreading aggressively, Trend Micro described the danger posed by the software itself as rather mild, gathering personal information and being able to intercept SMS on Android devices.

Trend Micro believes those behind this scam are from China and said it has identified, but not named, two distributors who are funding the apps.

“The distributors are also impersonating reputable companies to gain enterprise certificates for this PUA scam. It's a convoluted operation for porn apps that don't even play the videos they promise users—the distributors profit by pushing users to download more apps and buy VIP access that leads nowhere,” Trend Micro wrote.