Users Downloading Third-Party Pokémon GO Apps Hit With Phone-Wrecking Virus

By Kyle McKenney | July 11, 2016 | 5:21pm

Image via The Pokemon Company

Video Games News

Pokémon GO has so far only been released in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., and its astronomical popularity has led to people in other territories trying to find workarounds to play the game before it’s released internationally. Certain sites have circulated a guide on how to download a third-party version of Pokémon GO for Android. However, that version has infected many phones with DroidJack, a virus that would give an attacker full control over the victim’s phone.

Trainers, only install Pokémon GO via the Play Store or App Store. Downloads from other sources may contain malware or viruses.

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 11, 2016

The guide instructed users to “side-load” the app by changing their Android security settings to allow downloads from “unknown sources,” a very risky move. The infected version of Pokémon GO was then virtually identical in presentation to the legit version. If you downloaded Pokémon GO from a non-official source, ProofPoint has provided a guide for determining whether your phone is infected.