Fleeceware

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Fleeceware is a type of malware mobile application that come with hidden, excessive subscription fees. [1] These applications also take advantage of users who do not know how to cancel a subscription to keep charging them long after they have deleted the application. [1] As of 2020, more than 600 million users installed Android fleeceware apps from the Play Store. [2] The term was coined in 2019 by British researchers. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 Newman, Lily Hay (May 1, 2020). "Hacker Lexicon: What Is Fleeceware, and How Can You Protect Yourself?". Wired . Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  2. Cimpanu, Catalin (January 15, 2020). "More than 600 million users installed Android 'fleeceware' apps from the Play Store". ZDNet . Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  3. Chandraiah, Jagadeesh (September 25, 2019). "'Fleeceware' apps overcharge users for basic app functionality". Sophos . Retrieved April 20, 2021.