Pokémon Go has landed on the phones of more than 500 million people in the two months since it launched. And while the safety of the platform has been assured by its developer, Niantic Labs, cyber security company Proofpoint has found fraudulent social media accounts are putting Pokémon Go players at risk.
Of the 543 social media accounts related to the augmented reality app on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, 30% were found to be fraudulent. More than 40 accounts had links to download files, which could introduce harmful content to users’ devices and 79 were imposter accounts.
Proofpoint VP of mobile security Dave Jevans says the Pokémon Go app showcases how the latest viral phenomena can introduce serious risks for individuals and organisations.
“The bad guys are always looking for a way in and popular apps like Pokémon Go or big events like the Rio Olympics can open the door to a variety of threats," he said.
"The developers of Pokémon Go may have fixed the privacy issues with the game, but it's much more difficult to deal with related apps and social media accounts over which they have little or no control. When employees or other users of devices that make their way onto corporate networks go looking for the latest cheats or fan information, too often they get more than they bargained for."
For example, the fraudulent Facebook page below links users to a download of the Downware Trojan:
Figure 1: Fraudulent Pokémon GO page leading to malware
Mobile and social threats combine in another example in which a fraudulent Facebook page leads users to Android malware:
Figure 2: Fraudulent Pokémon GO page that links to Android malware
Cyber criminals are bringing a full suite of attacks to the table with Pokémon Go, and with 4.5% of the people surveyed linked to corporate networks – you could be catching more than a Pikachu if you’re a fan of the game.
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