does minecraft have malware if you download it from google play store

Scammers and even cybercriminals often target users that may not be able or willing to pay for an official version of a game like Minecraft by creating copycat apps.

The adage “if something seems too good to be true, it probably is” is a great one to keep in mind here. For this reason, it’s up to you when it comes to avoiding them. Unlike with malicious apps where installing one of the best Android antivirus apps on your smartphone can keep you safe, the same can’t be said for adware.Īdware apps aren’t considered as dangerous as malicious ones and since all of the ads are loaded in the background once one of these apps is running, they have a better chance of making it through Google’s security checks for the Play Store. If your smartphone is suddenly showing signs of a slowdown, it’s worth going through the list of apps you currently have installed as you could potentially have an adware app running in the background. Network traffic analysis by McAfee showed that suspicious network packets from ad libraries were exchanged in the background. However, since these were Minecraft clones after all, infected users likely thought these slowdowns were caused by the games themselves and not the adware they were running in the background.Īnother reason these adware apps may have been hard to spot is that the ads were loaded in the background once these games were launched but nothing was displayed on a user’s screen.

Normally when this happens, users with adware installed on their smartphones may immediately notice the performance loss they’re experiencing. Just like with a mobile malware infection, having an adware app on your smartphone can seriously slow it down and lead to overheating, increased data usage and poor battery life. Poor smartphone performance? Adware may be to blame However, if you have any of these apps installed on your devices or more likely your child’s tablet or smartphone, you will need to manually delete them. Here is the full list of Minecraft clone adware apps, along with how many times they’ve been downloaded from the Play Store:Īfter discovering these 35 adware apps as part of its work as an App Defense Alliance member, McAfee subsequently reported them to Google and they have all been removed from the Play Store.

Does minecraft have malware if you download it from google play store