A fake Kaspersky antivirus app has appeared in the Windows Phone Store, just a month after a fake antivirus app on Google’s Play store created quite a stir, resulting in Google offering refunds to users.
The app is named Kaspersky Mobile and was available for 149 rubles (roughly $4 USD). The fake app utilized Kaspersky’s logo and other branding elements, pretending to scan files. The odd thing is that Kaspersky doesn’t have an official antivirus app for Windows Phone, but that wont prevent some consumers from downloading it anyway. The fake app even displayed a separate progress bar for a heuristic analysis, which antivirus software do not display.
The same developer account also published fake apps using the names and logos of other popular programs, including Avira Antivirus, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera Mobile, Internet Explorer, and Safari. In fact, one of the fake apps was called “Virus Shield,” the same name for the fake app found in Google’s app store.
“It is quite possible that more and more of these fake apps will start appearing. One thing is for sure — the mechanisms put in place by the official stores are clearly unable to combat scams like this,” Roman Unuchek, senior malware analyst at Kaspersky Lab stated.
While developers may appreciate the short time it takes to get their app past the certification process and published to the Store, perhaps stringent procedures are necessary in order to ensure apps like these are never published. Currently, the app verification process is automated.
The fake Kaspersky Mobile app has since been taken down. It goes without saying – be mindful of what apps you purchase or download in the Windows Phone Store!
