Warning: You could be using a hacked Android app

Hacked Android apps popping up like mushrooms in Google Play.

Recently, we have been tipped off by the Root Uninstaller team regarding a hacked version of its Smart RAM Booster Pro app on Google Play. The hacker, known as Team Droid, has come up with the exact version of the app using the same icon and graphical asset that goes under the name of “RAM Boosts Pro”. Only the package name has been changed by the publisher for identifier and Android OS’s package manager purposes. Considering this is a hacked version, one would think it is free but the publisher has set the price higher than the original version. This definitely poses a huge problem for the Root Uninstaller team.

Apparently Team Droid has been crawling around Google Play selling and providing hacked versions of other apps as well. Other developers who fall victim to this include Booom Soft and Yukka Soft. Some hacked apps are free and some are sold at a higher price than the original version.

Root Uninstaller team has tried contacting Team Droid but to no avail. They have already notified Google and they hope to have actions taken against that publisher. It seems to us that many are slowly taking advantage over Android’s open source policy which does reveal an escalated problem for some developers and users. In a similar case, a developer named “apkdeveloper” hosted several Android malware through Android’s open source policy on Google Play. Thankfully, “apkdeveloper” has been banned from Google Play after Google was informed. It is time for Google to do the same thing to Team Droid.

We would love to know if there are Android app developers in our community facing the same problem. Do drop us a note in the comments below and share with us your experience.

Source : Root Uninstaller

Image Credits : Esato