Analyzing Security and Privacy Risks in Android Video Game Applications

In today’s world, where smartphones are nearly universal and their user base is growing rapidly, the security and privacy of users have become paramount concerns. This paper investigates the risks related to security and privacy in video game applications, which have seen a surge in popularity. Our extensive study involves the detailed analysis of most popular 400 free Android games from the Google Play Store in the Thailand region which spread across action, role-playing, simulation, and strategy genres. We conducted an in-depth static and dynamic analysis focusing on aspects such as malware detection, permission requests, third-party tracking, and security of server connections. Our work uncovers the existence of potential malware, incorporation of third-party trackers in apps, discrepancies in permission requests, inconsistencies between third-party tracker identification between static and dynamic analysis, and possibly malicious connections. The insights from this study are intended to assist game developers and end-users to be aware of the security and privacy standards of their games.