You’re probably aware that Pokémon Go has dropped for both Android and iOS. And you’re also probably painfully aware by now that you can probably run the app despite it not being officially listed on Google Play or iTunes (if you live in the PH) by sideloading, or downloading the APK for the game and running it on your device.
What you probably don’t know is that people have already found a malware-infected version of the said APK, which has the potential of allowing hackers to take control of your entire device. Yup, researchers have found a malware infected APK of Pokémon Go that’s been tweaked to include the DroidJack malicious remote access tool (RAT).
While the malicious APK hasn’t been spotted in the wild as of yet, it’s only a matter of time before it starts spreading. It makes sense – Niantic is limiting the release of the new game to specific countries as of now, which means there’s literally thousands of people googling the phrase Pokémon Go APK right now in the hopes of playing it early, something that malware writers are guaranteed to try and take advantage of. There’s also reports of GPS spoofers that’s being made for the game as well to allow people outside of official release countries to play the game on their device, which is also a great way for Android viruses to get on your phone. The best course of action right now is to be patient and wait for the official release – an Android game isn’t worth risking getting your phone hacked.
