The original Plants vs. Zombies game enjoyed a lot of popularity back then when PopCap Studios released it on the iOS in 2010, and on the Android in 2011. Now, with the approaching release of its sequel (soft-launched in New Zealand and Australia), cybercriminals have already begun taking advantage of the hype.
The first trickle of threats came at around July 16, 2013. We discovered a survey scam website, hosted by Blogger, and linked from a YouTube video page. The website was found to be a typical survey scam with no malware tied to its bait.
- The usage of popular, up-and-coming sequels to high-profile game apps already available in the iOS App Store but not yet in Google Play
- The fake apps asking for 5-star ratings and reviews before they could be 'played'
- The fake apps are free of charge, in contrast to the legitimate apps which cost money
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