Skip to main content

A pretend Pornhub app is infecting Android phones with malware

android cloak dagger malware phone
ymgerman/123RF
It’s almost too ironic to be true. Porn is giving smartphones a virus, and it’s one that locks out their owners. As per a new report from cybersecurity firm ESET, apps pretending to be from Pornhub are infecting mobile devices with malware that locks users out of their handsets and demands a ransom for their release.

Because the Google Play Store forbids Pornhub from having an official app in the database (it doesn’t allow for pornographic material to appear on its software distribution platform), folks are apparently being tricked into looking elsewhere, and downloading apps that may look like what they’re lusting for, but that in fact are far more dangerous. The result is that users are finding they then need to fix their smartphone.

Related Videos

When you download one of these apps, it tells you first that it has to check your phone for viruses before playing any illicit videos. But rather than checking, of course, it’s actually installing a virus. Once the malware has made its way onto a handset by way of one of these rogue apps, it installs ransomware that locks you out of your phone and asks you to pay $100 in Bitcoin to release it from its hostage situation.

ESET has published a set of guidelines instructing smartphone owners on how to avoid this sort of malware, and has also provided instructions on how to get rid of the virus should you have already fallen victim. For example, you can put your device into Safe Mode, which blocks third-party apps, and “in the event that the application has been granted Device Administrator privileges,” you’ll need to revoke app access before deleting it to ensure that everything has been wiped.

Of course, if all else fails, you can always do a complete factory reset, though that tends to be a tad annoying. For more information on the malware and what to do about it, you can check out ESET’s full report on its official website.

Editors' Recommendations

iPhone 15: release date and price predictions, leaks, rumors, and more
iPhone 15 render by 4RMD

As great as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are, they're both already a few months old at this point, and the rumors about the iPhone 15 are well underway. We still have several months before the iPhone 15 models drop, though, as Apple usually makes iPhone announcements in the fall. In other words, there's still a lot of time for rumors to circulate around the internet.

We're keeping all of the reports and rumors of the iPhone 15 here in a single place for your convenience, but do remember to keep in mind that these are all still just speculation. Nothing is final until Apple confirms it during an official announcement. Still, a lot of the rumors give us an idea of what to expect each year, which is unfortunate if you like surprises. Here's everything we know of the iPhone 15 so far!
iPhone 15: models

Read more
These Android apps are spying on you — and there’s no easy way to stop them
Illustration of a giant eye stalking through a phone

Android’s security woes need no introduction, but another threat that hasn’t received its fair share of awareness relates to spyware and stalkerware apps. These apps can secretly be installed on a victim’s phone to monitor their activity and can be exploited to harass victims of domestic abuse and engage in online stalking. All someone needs is physical access to the victim's phone to install these apps, which is not too difficult in cases of domestic abuse.

Call it an app-fueled version of AirTag stalking, but on steroids, because these spyware apps can steal everything including messages, call logs, emails, photos, and videos. Some can even activate the microphone and the camera, and secretly transfer these recordings to a remote server where the abuser can access it. Since Google Play's policies don't allow stalking apps, these apps are sold via third-party websites and need to be sideloaded.

Read more
You aren’t ready for this Galaxy S23 vs. iPhone 14 Pro camera test
Deep purple iPhone 14 Pro and Cream Galaxy S23 crossed over

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 is here, and it's quickly become one of the best phones you can buy in 2023. For $800, you’re getting a small but mighty phone with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, long-lasting battery life, and a powerful triple lens camera system with a 50-megapixel main shooter.

But how does one of the best Android phones stack up against Apple’s smallest flagship, the iPhone 14 Pro? It has just as many cameras as the Galaxy S23, a powerful 48MP main camera, and costs $200 more than Samsung's handset.

Read more