Security Researchers Discover 10 App Store Apps Engaging in Ad Fraud

Security researchers discovered 10 "adware" apps on the App Store that were engaging in ad fraud, according to a report from Bleeping Computer. The apps were designed to generate revenue by impersonating legitimate apps and presenting a deluge of ads to iPhone users.

iOS App Store General Feature Sqaure Complement
Discovered by HUMAN's Satori Threat Intelligence team, the mobile apps are part of an ad fraud campaign they're calling "Scylla." It is the third wave of a fraud operation first discovered in August 2019, which Apple has been fighting. The apps have been removed from the ‌App Store‌ at this point, but if you have the following apps installed, you should delete them:

  • Loot the Castle - com.loot.rcastle.fight.battle (id1602634568)
  • Run Bridge - com.run.bridge.race (id1584737005)
  • Shinning Gun - com.shinning.gun.ios (id1588037078)
  • Racing Legend 3D - com.racing.legend.like (id1589579456)
  • Rope Runner - com.rope.runner.family (id1614987707)
  • Wood Sculptor - com.wood.sculptor.cutter (id1603211466)
  • Fire-Wall - com.fire.wall.poptit (id1540542924)
  • Ninja Critical Hit - wger.ninjacriticalhit.ios (id1514055403)
  • Tony Runs - com.TonyRuns.game

The apps committing ad fraud used a bundle ID that did not match their publication name, making it appear to advertisers that impressions came from a more profitable software category. The apps apparently imitated CTV-based apps, with IDs changing often to evade detection.

While 10 apps were found on the iOS ‌App Store‌, more than 70 were found on Google's Play Store, and adware is a much more severe problem on Android devices. Apple's ‌App Store‌ review process was able to lessen the severity of the problem on iOS devices, but there are still apps that slip through.

Adware is more of an annoyance than a serious issue on the ‌App Store‌, but it is something that ‌iPhone‌ owners should be aware of. Security researchers suggest that smartphone users should look for rapid battery drainage and increased internet data usage to spot apps that are fraudulently using ads in the future. Avoiding installing apps from suspicious developers is also a good idea.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...

Top Rated Comments

Basic75 Avatar
33 months ago

Avoiding installing apps from suspicious developers is also a good idea.
Wasn't the whole point of the walled garden to prevent suspicious apps and developers?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CWallace Avatar
33 months ago
The App Store certainly has plenty of issues, but just consider how much worse it would be if Apple just let everyone post any app they wanted without any attempt at oversight...
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wordsworth Avatar
33 months ago
Critics seem to conveniently ignore how difficult if not downright impossible it is to achieve a perfect system (any system), under the impression here, perhaps, that all Apple's wielding of the 'magic' sales pitch means the company can indeed achieve magical (ie 'perfect') results. Real world scenario: choose your poison – Apple or Android. A walled garden doesn't prevent weeds but if carefully attended to, it will minimise them.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ponzicoinbro Avatar
33 months ago

And another for the list of bullet points debunking Apple's lies about sideloading.


The story literally says it is worse on Android so unless someone reading the story has cognitive problems, this story backs up Apple and proves sideloading is a menace when it comes to piracy and and ad fraud.

Developers wont benefit one bit from sideloading because apps will be pirated massively and a lot of those pirate apps will contain malware and user tracking ads.

As people point out, the only people who support sideloading on smart phones are:

- organized criminals spamming forums to demand sideloading.
- pirates who don’t want to pay for apps.
- just people with a bad grudge and a chip on their shoulder.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GeoStructural Avatar
33 months ago
This is IMPOSSIBLE, the App Store review process is the standard in privacy and security. The walled garden is here protect us from the evils of external apps. /s


Edit: Let's remember that Apple went as far as to trash their own desktop OS in front of a judge to support their monopolistic practices in iOS: Craig Federighi says the Mac has an ‘unacceptable’ malware problem ('https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/19/craig-federighi-mac-malware-problem/')
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
autrefois Avatar
33 months ago

Avoiding installing apps from suspicious developers is also a good idea.
I was kind of hoping that Apple would be better at spotting suspicious developers than I am.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)