Apps Installing Without User Permission

[Reed Marvin]

Over the past week I have had the following apps apparently install themselves or be be installed by another app or program, approximately one every day without my express permission:

• Big Fish Casino by Big Fish Games
• Simple Email Share by App Fire
• Minesweeper by App Fire
• Daily Funny Videos by App Fire
• Simple Email Share by App Fire
• Max Web Search Pro by App Fire
• Download Manager by App Fire

They appear in my Droid RAZR MAXX HD phone, Kindle Fire HD+ tablet and My Apps on Google Play Store. In an effort to track down the source, I have installed and used:

• Lookout Ad Network Detector
• avast! Mobile
• Permission Explorer

I have not been able to determine what app or apps are causing this. It may also come from my home office PC, but security scans find nothing there either.

Any advice in solving this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Aquila]

My best guess would be Lookout Ad Network Detector. That's a "fake" app made to look like Lookout (real app found here: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...re/apps/details?id=com.lookout&token=FFjnk9th) (note different developer). But I would double check the comments, user counts and developers of all three if I were you.

 

[B. Diddy]

Hey NIT, I'm pretty sure Lookout Ad Network Detector is legit. It seems that Lookout Labs is a division of the main Lookout company. If you click on the developer website, it takes you to the main Lookout website. Lookout Labs also makes a Carrier IQ and DroidDream Cleaner app.

 

[B. Diddy]

To the OP, welcome to Android Central! It can be very challenging to find the culprit in these situations. Do you have a lot of games installed? Those are probably the most likely to cause this problem. As NothingIsTrue mentioned, looking through reviews can be helpful--consider sifting through Google Play reviews of all of the apps you have installed.

 

[Aquila]

Hey NIT, I'm pretty sure Lookout Ad Network Detector is legit. It seems that Lookout Labs is a division of the main Lookout company. If you click on the developer website, it takes you to the main Lookout website. Lookout Labs also makes a Carrier IQ and DroidDream Cleaner app.

Good to know - thanks! I just say 5k installs and reviews that mentioned spamminess, but I was unable to find a link to app fire on that one as well.

 

[B. Diddy]

Well, to be honest, I've never used Lookout Ad Network Detector myself--although I do use Lookout Antivirus all the time, and trust them.