Infected Pokémon GO start screen it appears identical to that of the legitimate application (Source: Proofpoint)įortunately, Android enthusiasts of Pokémon GO can check to see whether they have a copy of the legitimate app installed on their devices. Proofpoint’s security team describes that the malicious app’s start screen appears identical to that of the legitimate application, which makes it difficult for users to discern whether they’ve been infected with malware. Should an individual download an APK from a third party that has been infected with a backdoor,… their device would then be compromised.”Ĭase in point, at least one of those unofficial APKs comes modified with DroidJack, a remote access tool which like other mobile trojans gives an attacker full control over an infected device. “Unfortunately, this is an extremely risky practice and can easily lead users to installing malicious apps on their own mobile devices. Researchers at Proofpoint explain that’s a poor security decision for Android users to make: Doing so involved modifying Android’s security settings so that users could install APKs from “untrusted sources.”

In response to growing interest around the game, various online forums published tutorials demonstrating how Android users could download an APK for the game from a non-Google URL. It leverages Niantic’s Real World Gaming Platform to help players find and catch Pokémon as they explore real world locations. An infected Android version of the Pokémon GO app is infecting unsuspecting users with the malicious remote access tool DroidJack.įirst released in the United States on July 6, Pokémon GO is a mobile game available for Android and iPhone.

How to find droidjack on phone