in Google Play Store
In the Google Play Store there is a rogue app that claims to be an app for the MyGovernment government department. The app is full of advertisements and may be off to users’ photos.

Malicious Mining Government App in Google Play Store
Malicious mining government app in Google Play Store
According to the warning on the DigiD website , steps have been taken to have the app removed from the Play Store, but it is still there at the time of writing. Users find the app when they search for DigiD or MyGovernment. The rogue app is then one of the first results. When asked, Google spokesperson Rachid Finge told Tweakers that there are no details about the current status, but that they are ‘currently being looked at’.

It is already clear from the logo and description that it is not an official app from the Dutch government. The app seems to have been in the Play Store since April 15, when the application was last updated.

According to the Play Store, the app has been downloaded more than a hundred times. How many ignorant users have downloaded the app thinking it is an official app is unknown. The DigiD website calls on users to contact the help desk via MijnOverheid.nl when they have downloaded the app.

Tijs Hofmans, editor for security and privacy at Tweakers, notes that the app constantly requests permission for photos, if it is installed without giving it any permissions. The app may try to steal photos from users by disguising itself as a scanner for qr codes. An image-filling advertisement is also displayed with every interaction.