Pokemon GO Android Malware: How to see if downloading the APK has infected your phone

Those desperate to play Pokemon GO before its official release have found a number of workarounds to get the game, but side-loading the app on to Android may mean your phone is now infected with malware.

We noted that downloading .apk files from third-party app stores carried risks when we reported on how to get Pokemon Go on Android, but now security researchers have gone one better by uncovering that the APK could be modified to give attackers full control of a phone – and by better, we mean more worrying,

Cybersec firm Proofpoint noted that its discovery was just a ‘proof of concept’ at present, but that doesn’t mean that your phone is necessarily in the clear, so it’s worth taking a few simple steps to see if you spot anything unusual.

What is Pokemon Go?

Related: 7 bizarre places Pokemon have been spotted in Pokemon GO

The easiest way to do this is to head to the Settings section of your device, and then find the Pokemon GO app.

Once there, head to Permissions and take a good look at what the app is able to do. If you notice that it’s been given permission to do stuff like read your texts or record audio, then it’s likely that Pokemon GO is capable of hijacking your device.

Remove it immediately if this is the case. For a seriously in-depth guide complete with screenshots, head to Proofpoint’s website.

If you’ve got an iOS device, you don’t need to worry, as Apple’s App Store is locked down, which makes the workaround trickier, but not impossible. Here’s how to get Pokemon GO on your iOS device.

Or just wait for the official UK release…

Related: Pokemon GO UK release date

Watch The Refresh: The latest tech gossip every week

Have you downloaded Pokemon GO on the sly? Let us know in the comments below.