I downloaded app called exodus from Ubuntu mates app center.
I thought it was a bitcoin wallet application.
I entered in my 12 words recovery phrase and it said it was incorrect I tried it a few times still said incorrect.
So I uninstalled the software and downloaded the original app from the website.
Install the app logged in with my 12 word phrase and my crypto wallet was cleaned out.
Look back and Ubuntu mates app store and the apps disappeared
How can this happen?
How was I scammed?
How can I not be scammed again through the Ubuntu mate app center?
The app was removed back in February 2024 from the Ubuntu Snap Store.
You've provided no Ubuntu MATE release details; and given the Ubuntu MATE Software Boutique app software was retired for releases newer than 23.10, being replaced by the Ubuntu Snap Store I mentioned in the prior paragraph.
I don't know what app you're referring to, as you've not clearly stated where you found it (what apps are installed varies on release, and you didn't provide that detail).
The first link I provided relating to the Feb-2024 issue with the Exodus App on the Snap Store had the impacted party referred to law enforcement (being in US that was FBI) who were given a Canonical email for clues on software; but please note I don't know what app you're using given release details are required to know the store you used.
Before downloading the App, did you do a refresh of the App Store Debian package to ensure you had the most recent catalogue snapshot of the "currently registered" applications?
And again, within the App store, I believe there is/was a button to refresh the view of the "store shelves".
As others have stated, the App Center is the same as the Snap Store. I had a quick look at the Terms of Service, and Canonical provides no liability beyond what is required by law.
I'm not a security expert - but that tells me I should not have a high level of trust in installing straight from the Snap Store.
Your App Center (or Snap Store) may have been out of date; this could have impacted the availability of that malware: try the following command in a terminal to update the store
snap refresh snap-store
When installing anything I usually start at a trusted website, and follow instructions for installation from there.
Ubuntu[-MATE] 24.10 due to the year.month format tells you when it was released; the 10th month of 2024 being October, thus 24.10 released in October 2024.
There was an earlier release in 2024-April; April being the 4th month of the year it was Ubuntu[-MATE] 24.04.
I ran snap refresh snap-store say snap "snap-store" has no updates available.
so I believe I understand this problems been around for over a year and I downloaded the app today and got scammed.
This is a complete failure of Ubuntu to its community.
How can this the still happen after a year?
I lost about $300 New Zealand which is a lot of money for me because I do not work at the moment.
Ubuntu mate was my first experience of running a Linux operating system it was recommended from a friend who uses it.
I have no idea; the software you mentioned is not available when I look via command line snap or via the App Center; but you said that the app had disappeared from the store. It's still possible that you were let down by an out-of-date Snap Store and it self-updated at some point.
You could look at logs in your system if you wanted to know for sure.
In my personal opinion: Cryptocurrency is frequently a scam target, weakly regulated in most jurisdictions, and its value is frequently manipulated by hostile actors - it's not a safe thing to hold even in the best of financial positions.
Besides not fully understanding the technology, another example of why I have been reluctant to venture in crypto. Although, I probably have missed out on investment opportunities.
This was a clean install of 24.04 on this particular machine so I would assume I'd be using App Center but I may be wrong.When I hover over the icon in the panel it shows it simply as Software.
Best check the software repositories installed on your system. The dodgy Exodus version could have made it through a repository (including PPAs) whether by malice / misled or (extremely rarely case) a third party repository once trusted was compromised.
You can find out in the Software & Updates program under the "Other Software" tab. Feel free to share a screenshot here if you want us to check it out.
Software added via repositories typically show up in managers like App Center (which I believe shows both deb-based and snap packages... so while it can't be gotten as a snap today, it could be the deb kind)
In an extreme case, if you granted sudo access to the system, whether by a script or following instructions, it could have changed your /etc/hosts file to trick you. What was thought to be example.com could be diverted to a different place.
You can list them by opening the file: File System → etc → hosts
By default, there should only be localhost entries like 127.0.0.1 or ::1 (maybe a couple more)
Really sorry to hear about the money loss. Personally I avoid snaps entirely, partly because instead of trusting Ubuntu/Debian to audit a package, you're trusting the company or individual who created the snap package, and they can push those updates fast.
Because you are only notified only when there are new "Long-term support versions" (LTS). The next LTS will be 26.04, due to be released sometime around April in 2026.
You can change that by selecting from the drop down menu next to "Notify me of a new Ubuntu version"
Software & Updates program under the "Other Software" tab. Feel free to share a screenshot here if you want us to check it out.
File System → etc → hosts
