Fake version of Pokemon Go can infect your phone and could give access to "HACKERS" !!!

By Punit Raj Gautam

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EDITORS MESSAGE :- I wrote a post on this blog after a long time because I was in a trip and then I fell ill and got Chickenpox. I am sorry for the inconvienience and i will try to post regularly 

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Android users in the UK excited to get their hands on a copy of augmented reality game Pokémon Go could have downloaded a malicious version of the app that could give hackers access to their phone. 

Cybersecurity researchers discovered the tampered-with version of the wildly popular mobile game just 72 hours after it launched in Australia and New Zealand last week. The security vulnerability could lead to an attacker gaining "full control over a victim's phone", said the researchers at Proofpoint. 

The security vulnerability could affect users keen to get their hands on a copy of the game, which is yet to be made available outside of the US, Australia and New Zealand, who have downloaded a version of the game from outside of the official Google Play store. 

The Proofpoint researchers who discovered the flaw warned usersto be careful when downloading unsanctioned versions of the game.

"This is an extremely risky practice and can easily lead users to installing malicious apps on their own mobile devices," they said. "[We] discovered an infected Android version of the newly released mobile game Pokémon Go." 

Vulnerabilities like the one found in the Pokémon Go APK could "open a back door on the compromised device. It also steals information," according to Symantec research from 2014.  

To get a copy of the game in the UK, where release has been delayed due to over-loaded servers, Android owners have to give their phone permission to download third-party apps then download it from outside of the Google Play store.

Proofpoint outlined a couple of ways to check if a malicious version has been installed, including compare the permissions of the app with the actual one or compare its hash, a long string of numbers that verifies the official version. 

"Downloading available applications from legitimate app stores is the best way to avoid compromising your device and the networks it accesses," said the researchers. "Just because you can get the latest software on your device does not mean that you should." 

Luckily for some users, the work around on iOS devices doesn't involve downloading unverified versions of the apps. Instead, users can change the region settings and get a copy of Pokémon Go from the official App Store.

I hope you will like the game because I haven't played this game because I even didn't liked Pokemon......

Just for your knowledge and security  I posted this blog.. 

Thanks and Happy Gaming!!! 

Comments any question and anything and I'll be happy to reply :)