When a platform reaches a certain level of popularity, it inevitably starts to attract the attention of people who want to exploit it and/or take advantage of it. Sometimes it’s for malicious reasons, and sometimes it’s to make a profit on the back of other people’s work. MagiskManager.com, a new website that popped up recently, is an example of the latter case. It may look and feel like an official webpage by XDA Recognized Developer/Contributor topjohnwu, but we’re here to tell you that this is not the case.
Using popular keywords in a domain name is one way that website owners take advantage of Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) to drive traffic. That’s why there are so many legitimate Android news blogs and websites with the word “Android” in their domain names, but it’s also why some websites like MagiskManager.com—which isn’t owned by or affiliated with topjohnwu—uses the keyword “Magisk” in its URL.
The site links to original sources for a few things, like topjohnwu’s XDA profile, but self-hosts APK and ZIP files for Magisk Manager and the Magisk installer. They’re unmodified from the original versions as of publication time, but there’s nothing preventing the webpage operators from uploading malicious files at any time.
Android currently has over two billion active users around the world, which makes it a target for hackers looking to steal data. It’s reached the point where Google works with security researchers to patch vulnerabilities and exploits each and every month, so it’s not surprising that unscrupulous parties want to make a quick buck off of a popular utility like Magisk.
We wanted to point out that MagiskManager.com is NOT the official website of Magisk Manager. The ONLY official places to get the latest releases of Magisk Manager and the Magisk installer zip are topjohnwu’s XDA thread and his GitHub page.
So please, be careful when installing root apps and ZIP files from unfamiliar sources. They might not be legitimate.