It seems people use their smartphone more often for playing games and running apps than making calls. Technology has transformed our phones into gaming systems, photo albums, calendars, research tools, social networking platforms and maps. The adage of “There’s an app for that!” couldn’t be more true.
Some apps, unfortunately, are not exactly what they claim to be. If you download the wrong app, it could cause major problems for your phone. As reported by the FTC, thousands of people were impacted by malware from the Prized app before it was eventually deleted from app stores.
The sales pitch of Prized was that users would earn prizes after completing various activities such as completing surveys and playing games. Unbeknownst to the users, there was malware in the app that was using the computing power of the phone. Affected phones ran slowly, lost battery life quickly and ate away at data plans.
So, what exactly was draining the computing power from all of these phones?
The computing power was needed to mine Dogecoin, Litecoin and other virtual currency. This type of currency is developed on peer-to-peer networks by the activity of mining. When more people are on the network, it becomes tougher and tougher to mine. That’s why miners require advanced technology and stronger computing power to turn a profit.
In this instance, the defendants were feeding off the power of hacked phones in order to mine for their own financial gain – but nowhere in the Prized app did they alert users or receive authorization. As a result,the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General and the FTC took them to court. The settlement strictly prohibits the defendants from ever creating or distributing malware again and forced them to pay civil fines.
How to stop malware from infecting your phone:
- Always read customer reviews and find out more about the developer, before you install an app. Any permissions that the app prompts should be carefully reviewed.
- Pay attention to see if your phone loses battery life more quickly, heats up or runs slowly. If this happens, go into your settings and check which apps are draining the most battery power and data. When you see an app that is using an inappropriate amount of power and data, delete it to be safe.
- Anytime you notice your phone isn’t working normally, you should also contact customer service for the phone manufacturer or your wireless service provider.