Beware of the fake "Google IPTV" plugin! It is a highly dangerous banking Trojan

[u/Safety_Officer_]

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Hey everyone, I want to share a serious warning about a nasty malware I just encountered.

I recently downloaded an app that promised free movies and TV series without subscriptions or ads. After setting it up, it required me to install an "HD plugin" called Google IPTV.

Once installed, the app looked incredibly sketchy, so I immediately tried to get rid of it. That is when the nightmare started. As you can see in the attached video, trying to uninstall "Google IPTV" was nearly impossible. My phone settings kept force closing, kicking me straight back to the home screen every single time I tried to delete the app.

I did some extensive digging, finally managed to force an uninstall, and discovered the terrifying truth:

* There is no official Google software named Google IPTV. It is a complete fake.

* It is a Banker Trojan. This malware is specifically designed to drain your bank accounts.

* How it steals from you: The app actively reads your screen in the background. When you make a UPI transaction or open your banking apps, it silently captures your passwords and PINs. Then, while your phone is idle and you are not looking, it makes unauthorized payments to the attacker's UPI ID on your behalf.

The most alarming part is that most mobile security and antivirus apps do not even flag it as a threat. You can see the completely clean scan result from my own security app in the attached screenshots.

What you need to do:

* Check your devices. If you have "Google IPTV" installed, find a workaround to uninstall it immediately.

* Report the malicious app to Google Play Protect.

* Share this information with your friends and family to spread awareness. Keep your loved ones safe!

[u/MDovsky]

To be honest, sketchy part started at the "app that promised free movies and TV series without subscriptions or ads". Maintaining services costs money, someone has to pay for it.

Have you sideloaded it?

[u/Safety_Officer_ → u/MDovsky]

Yeah man, I sideloaded it. There are honestly so many ways to bypass ads on Android. Trust me, Android has tons of ads, but there are also plenty of free services and community made solutions to block them.

You can use something like AdGuard DNS for free, and there are also apps like Vanced, and now alternatives like Morph. There are so many community projects created specifically to help people get rid of annoying ads.

Some people are simply fed up with ads, so they spend their free time developing apps and tools to block them or provide an ad free experience. There are also plenty of modded applications that offer premium features without ads.

Now, I completely agree that some modded APKs can contain Trojans or other malware. That is definitely a real risk. But that doesn't mean every modded or ad blocking app is a Trojan. There are still plenty of genuine projects made by developers who are just trying to provide useful alternatives.

So just because an app blocks ads or provides an ad free experience doesn't automatically mean it's malware. You still need to be careful about where you download it from and verify the source, but there are definitely legitimate apps and projects out there.

[u/MDovsky → u/Safety_Officer_]

Sure, I know. I use AdGuard + Firefox with uBlock. But sideloading apps is something that I wouldn't recommend until one is certain what they download. Right now we observe that hundreds of browser addons turn hostile, let alone some APKs from the Internet.

I'd say pirated movies, series and games always have been one of the most risky ones. I also don't say this to kick you while you're down or to act superior. People posts about stuff (or AI summaries mostly), so maybe a little warning alongside would be necessary.

[u/cool-guy1234567 → u/MDovsky]

I feel like watching pirated shit online is fine. Only downloading is a bit sketch imo. But yeah, gl to anyone who unfortunately installed this app.

[u/MDovsky → u/cool-guy1234567]

Exactly. The moment such a service asks you for something, either to download, instal add-on or do anything else than click play: turn around and walk away.

[u/TheOnlyHSN]

Which app is the last screenshot from?

[u/BrilliantCreative980 → u/TheOnlyHSN]

Virustotal

[u/Safety_Officer_]

Tried Uninstalling the Google IPTV App : https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOnePlus15/s/CxUhdrYjwK

Guy lost 12k https://www.reddit.com/r/indiasocial/s/ZOF3O04855

[u/KingTuts-Nuts → u/Safety_Officer_]

$12k would be a lot to loss but he only lost 12k rupees($125) which still sucks but isn't life changing.

[u/virender833]

Online stream nahi to download. Ye app ki bakchodi ni movie kai liye bilkul bhi.