Global cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab has revealed the risk of using apps that allows a person to age their face, which is also the latest viral craze on the social media.
The company found that a fake app that is designed to trick users into thinking it is a certified version of FaceApp can actually infect victims' devices with an adware module called MobiDash.
They further revealed that once the application is downloaded from unofficial sources and installed, it simulates a failure and is subsequently removed. After that, a malicious module in the application rests discreetly on the user's device, displaying adverts.
According to Kaspersky data, around 500 unique users have encountered the problem in the last two days, with the first detections appearing on July 7. There were almost 800 different module modifications identified.
"The people behind MobiDash often hide their adware module under the guise of popular applications and services. This means that the activities of the fake version of FaceApp could intensify, especially if we are talking about hundreds of targets in just a few days. We urge users not to download applications from unofficial sources and to install security solutions on their devices to avoid any damage," noted Igor Golovin, security researcher at Kaspersky.
The company's previous study uncovered that the majority (63 per cent) of consumers do not read license agreements and 43 per cent just tick all privacy permissions when they are installing new apps. While this survey was done three years ago, they believe its findings on digital habits remain relevant and true.
