WASHINGTON — A pornography app for Android is extorting money from users by secretly taking pictures of the person watching the nudity.
The malicious app, called Adult Player, uses the front-facing camera to snap a photo of the user. The ransomware posts a warning message that locks the phone, unless $500 is paid.
According to Wired, the app asks for administrator access to the device that then allows it to load malicious files.
The ransomware snaps a photo of the user, and collects and sends data about the device to the hackers’ servers.
The message on the phone says the phone is locked “for safety reasons,” and demands payment through PayPal.
Adult Player is not available in Google Play.
Zscaler, which discovered the hack, says Android users are reminded to only download apps from trusted sources.
