A 'rogue app' in Blackberry World shown as a Top Free App!

**Kishore Thaakur** · 03-02-2013, 02:33 PM

On your Playbook, navigate to Blackberry App World - Apps - Top Free.
Here you will notice an app with the ICON, SCREENSHOT and DESCRIPTION stolen from official XE.com app. Once installed, it hijacks your playbook. It doesn't install any currency conversion app. It instead installs a program called Geometrics which freezes your Playbook. It continuously accesses the internet to transmit data to an unknown location. Even after attempting to uninstall it, it stays on your Playbook homescreen. (Please see attached screenshots). Neither can you access "application permissions".

EDIT: Have also attached the screenshot of the original official XE.com app. It is not available for the Playbook Platform. The cheat developer has taken advantage of this fact.

Have reported this to the original owners of XE.com at their addresses:
mobile@xe.com
legal@xe.com.

Thankyou qbnkelt for reporting this to the CB Team (should have done this myself) and to OScar_E for reporting it to the official BBRY Team.

Managed to find instructions here on CB on how to wipe my playbook clean. Reloaded the OS and the updated it to the latest v2.1.0.1526. Everything is working fine. Thank you to all my fellow CB members who tested this and helped me with this.

Other members who tested this on their playbook were able to successfully uninstall the app by deleting the icon on the homescreen after the app is uninstalled. That prevents it from reinstalling.

**playbookster** · 03-02-2013, 02:37 PM

Installing now, thanks!

**axiombh** · 03-02-2013, 02:39 PM

Can I get that in my Z10 also, what is the name of the app, I can't see the photo on CB10 I wana check it.

Posted via CB10

**ESCON** · 03-02-2013, 02:39 PM

and do you send it to the official BB team ?

**molson0** · 03-02-2013, 02:42 PM

Top apps...must be a wack of fubarred playbooks. I say user error.

**Kishore Thaakur** · 03-02-2013, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by ESCON

and do you send it to the official BB team ?

Would want to. Appreciate if you could post a link.

**molson0** · 03-02-2013, 02:47 PM

I would be shocked if appworld approved something that hurts any bb.

They deny vendors all the time for far less

**Oscar_E** · 03-02-2013, 02:55 PM

That sarcasm wasn't necessary, just don't install it, it still the most secure platform out there !!

**axiombh** · 03-02-2013, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by Oscar_E

That sarcasm wasn't necessary, just don't install it, it still the most secure platform out there !!

And that is why I wanna install it

Posted via CB10

**ESCON** · 03-02-2013, 03:03 PM

Good Luck....if you get the same results let us know
@Kishore try to contact the developer

**Kishore Thaakur** · 03-02-2013, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by Oscar_E

That sarcasm wasn't necessary, just don't install it, it still the most secure platform out there !!

Thanks so much for the advice Oscar but unfortunately I don't possess a premonition talent like you. If you would have advised me before I installed it, it would have been a great help.
As for sarcasm, you are not the one sitting with a bricked playbook thanks to some nincompoop at Blackberry App Team who not only managed to overlook this virus but also somehow managed to place it the top apps section!

**Kishore Thaakur** · 03-02-2013, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by ESCON

Good Luck....if you get the same results let us know
@Kishore try to contact the developer

It's a VIRUS guys! He has posted all false descriptions of his app on Blackberry World. What assistance can i expect from him. I'd rather contact Blackberry and alert them about it. God forbid if the dude has more such viruses floating around. Any links to the official Blackberry Team would be a great help.

**Bluenoser63** · 03-02-2013, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by Kishore Thaakur

On your Playbook, navigate to Blackberry App World - Apps - Top Free.
Here you will notice an app with an icon stolen from XE.com. Once installed, it hijacks your playbook. It installs an app called Geometrics which takes over your Playbook. It continuously accesses the internet to transmit data to an unknown location. You cannot delete or uninstall this app. (Please see attached screenshots). Neither can you access "application permissions".
Thank you Mr. Thorsten Heins for the most secured platform ever! Such a shame!

So where are the screen shots of the Geometrics app you talk about?

**Cynycl** · 03-02-2013, 03:14 PM

have u tried to uninstall with ghost commander or using the google chrome app program?

**Kishore Thaakur** · 03-02-2013, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by Bluenoser63

So where are the screen shots of the Geometrics app you talk about?

Attached with this post

**axiombh** · 03-02-2013, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by borceg

It's https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...currency&hl=en version 3.0.2, repackaged for BlackBerry 10 and PlayBook OS 2.x.x.x. Scanned the apk file and it's clean.

Either you're joking with us, or you've installed something else.

Dude, what play market got to do with this

he is talking about the Blackberry market for playbook.

Posted via CB10

**mathking606** · 03-02-2013, 03:27 PM

Send it to BlackBerry or the crack team or tweet alec saunders or alex kinsella about it.

**Kishore Thaakur** · 03-02-2013, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by borceg

It's https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...currency&hl=en version 3.0.2, repackaged for BlackBerry 10 and PlayBook OS 2.x.x.x. Scanned the apk file and it's clean.

Either you're joking with us, or you've installed something else.

Please read fellow playbook owners reviews on that particular app page (wish i had read the reviews before). But wonder why no one alerted the official BB Team.

And Why don't you install it on your playbook and prove me wrong! See what it installs instead of what the description says and then try and remove it from your playbook.

**borceg** · 03-02-2013, 03:36 PM

Sorry, I checked wrong app package. BB 10 version is that XE Currency app stolen from Google Play market. PlayBook version is some useless app called Geometrics, also stolen from Google Play market. Although both versions doesn't contain malwares, I checked that. Geometrics uses Google Ads/AdMob library which requires internet access

**npunk42** · 03-02-2013, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by Kishore Thaakur

Thanks so much for the advice Oscar but unfortunately I don't possess a premonition talent like you. If you would have advised me before I installed it, it would have been a great help.

More sarcasm!

**kbz1960** · 03-02-2013, 03:43 PM

OK what havoc is this virus causing? Or is it just a crap app?

**BB_Bmore** · 03-02-2013, 05:09 PM

Apparently it bricked his/her PlayBook but not before they captured some screenshots of the app for this thread

**Kishore Thaakur** · 03-02-2013, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by BB-Bmore

Apparently it bricked his/her PlayBook but not before they captured some screenshots of the app for this thread

Sorry for not being very clear, didn't mean bricked/ dead in it's literal sense. Yes, the volume button shortcut to click screenshots still works. My Emails/ Messages/ Contacts/ Calendar entries all gone! Docs to Go frozen..

Someone tested it yet?

**RedxD** · 03-02-2013, 05:45 PM

Installed it. opened it, crashed, uninstalled it, checked with Ghost Commander to see if it was uninstalled, it was. No bricking, slowing down, or anything.

**rkennedy01** · 03-02-2013, 05:52 PM

You should do your homework before throwing around terms like "virus." What you found was a crappy port of some garbage Android app. Nothing that can't be cleared up with a little technical know-how and an Android-specific file manager like ghost commander or es file explorer.

Of course, if your intention was to troll the forum by crying "virus," then... :-P

RCK

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