Some Android apps were exposed to fraudulent advertisement

In popular Android apps a rogue advertising network would be deployed without the developers’ knowledge, secretly playing videos and thus draining the data bundle and battery of phones, BuzzFeed News reports.

The network distributed legitimate advertising banners, behind which a video advertisement was hidden unnoticed by the user, discovered Protected Media fraud detector.

The video ads were played unnoticed. The fraudster could earn much more with the advertising banner than usual, since video advertisements often generate more income than common banners.

Although users of Android apps did not see or hear the video, the playback was reflected in the battery life and data intake. Developers received complaints from users who blamed apps.