If these apps are still on your phone, someone might be spying on you
If you have these apps, someone can spy on you. Reader's Digest
There's an app for that… but should you use it?
We all love our cell phones and the millions of ways they connect us and make our lives easier. But some of the apps you've come to love and trust can actually put you at risk. While it's easy to forget the need for privacy in a world where everyone broadcasts everything online, it's important to remember that it's very rare for someone to steal your identity and even hack into your banking accounts. Information is required. We've gathered information about some of the worst offenders so you can make an educated decision about which apps you can trust with your privacy and which apps need to be moved. Bad guys are likely to blame for one of the biggest mobile phone security threats.
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Active protection
Caleb Barlow, former VP of IBM Security and current CEO and president of CynergisTek, says you can save yourself a lot of heartache if you take a few simple steps before downloading any app. "Only get mobile applications from legitimate stores," he explains, referring to Google Play and the Apple Store. And once you've found legitimate apps you want to download, "be religious about permissions and check application permissions on a regular basis. Turn off permissions that don't allow the application to work properly." No need to. Here's how to lock apps even if someone physically grabs your phone.
It's also a good idea to do a little research first. Barlow recommends checking how many reviews an app has before downloading it. Ideally, anything you add to your phone will already be used and reviewed by thousands of other people.
Cam Scanner
Anna Berra is a cybersecurity expert with Safe at Last. He identified CamScanner, an app that aims to mimic a scanner with your phone, as one app users should be concerned about. "Cybersecurity experts found a malicious component installed in the app that acts as a Trojan downloader and continues to collect infected files," she explains. "This type of app can seriously damage your phone and should be uninstalled immediately. Fortunately, once you remove it from your phone, it is very unlikely that it will will continue to harm you.
While there are safer alternatives that work like cam scanners, Berra says, "the app is just a copy of a real scanner, which means you can always go back to a traditional machine."
Weather apps
"Check your weather app," says Shayne Sherman, CEO of TechLoris. "There are a number of different weather apps out there that have Trojans or other malware embedded in them." claims to take for, but he calls it questionable. "Check your local forecast instead, and if you have good weather, delete it now," he advises. is especially dangerous."
Look, we all love our social networking apps. But cybersecurity expert Rafi Jaffrey, co-founder and creative director of Kwiny Digital Solutions, says, "If you're looking for apps to delete to protect your information, the biggest culprit is Facebook. The sheer scale of its data collection is staggering, and it's often more intrusive than companies like Google. If you had to pick one app to remove to protect your data, it would be Facebook.
Unfortunately, Jaffrey says Facebook is "notorious for collecting data on you even if you don't use their service. But removing Facebook-powered applications from your phone is a good way to protect your privacy." A great first step.For step two, here's how to stop location sharing on iPhone!
"This is a call to action for consumers who may have been living under a rock and are unaware of the threats revealed earlier this year," says Michael Covington, VP of product at mobile security leader Vandra. "Vulnerabilities with WhatsApp — both iOS and Android versions — allowed attackers to target users by sending a specially crafted message to their phone number. Once successfully exploited, attackers could Access will be given to the same things that WhatsApp had access to, including the microphone, camera, contact list, and more."
Yes, that means the attackers had the ability to do an awful lot of spying. "This was one of the most widespread issues I've seen affecting mobile devices, and we continue to see older versions on enterprise devices," says Covington. Fortunately, it's easy to remove: just update the app to the latest version. At the time of writing, the latest version for Android is 2.19.339 and the latest version for iOS is 2.19.112. If you have already caught yourself wondering "Is WhatsApp secure?" You have good instincts.
Both WhatsApp and Instagram are owned by Facebook, which is part of what puts them all at risk. Dave Salisbury, director of the University of Dayton's Center for Cybersecurity and Data Intelligence, says Instagram "requests a number of permissions, including but not limited to changing and reading contacts and your storage content, your phone's address, etc. Plugging in, reading your call log, modifying system settings, and gaining full network access."
Even more alarming, updates can automatically add additional capabilities. "People need to remember that on Facebook and many other places, you are the product, not the customer," says Salisbury. "Information about you, what you do, where you go, who you interact with, etc., is valuable. If you're okay with giving it up for some free services, then this is a valid choice. What I would hope is that people actually think through the choices in an informed way and make sure they are getting as much as they are giving.
Facebook Messenger
Since Messenger is a separate Facebook app, Attila Tomaschek, digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy, feels it's important to pay attention to that as well. "Deleting Facebook Messenger is a no-brainer, based on the company's appalling reluctance to protect user privacy," Tomaschek says. "The messages you send and receive using the Facebook Messenger app are not encrypted, meaning all of your messages are clearly viewable by any Facebook employee with the appropriate permissions. are."
While the company plans to roll out a "Secret Conversation" mode that will offer encryption, it won't be a default option and won't be available for the calling feature. "What's more, the app automatically scans any links or images you send, and if any suspicious content is flagged by the algorithm, your messages will be read by moderators employed by the company," Tomasek added. "Basically, if you don't want your personal data to be subject to Facebook's lax data privacy practices and you don't want anyone to potentially eavesdrop on your private messages, it's best to limit your losses. Minimize, delete the app, and look elsewhere."
If you're looking for an alternative private messaging app, Tomaschek recommends the secure messaging app Signal. "Your messages in Signal are protected by the app's proprietary encryption protocol, which many consider the most secure messaging protocol available today," he says. "In fact, Edward Snowden even endorsed Signal as a secure messaging app."
Flashlight apps
We bet you didn't see that coming. "Free flashlight apps are often exposed to more cybersecurity risks," says Harold Lee, vice president of ExpressVPN, a consumer privacy and security company. "Many of these apps are free but ad-supported, and they often request permissions, such as audio recording and contact information, to apparently function properly. When users install these apps If they are, they risk sharing their personal data with app developers who monetize the data by selling it to advertisers."
Lee recommends removing these apps entirely. He then recommends updating your passwords for any social media or email accounts you use on your phone. You can also write to these companies and request the deletion of all your data. Under the laws of some countries and states, users have the right to have all their data erased.
While Lee couldn't recommend a secure alternative, he did say: "It's 2019, and most phones already come with a built-in flashlight function, so you really don't need to install another free app. There is no need to do that which may collect and sell your data."
angry birds
"When Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA and exposed the agency's surveillance tactics, he specifically mentioned the Angry Birds app that the NSA was using to steal personal data from its users," Tomaszek says. are "The app was leaking personal data like users' phone numbers, call logs, country of origin, current location, and even marital status, and the NSA was taking it down without any suspicion."
If you have the game installed on your phone, Tomasek says the best thing to do is delete it. But, he adds, "The developers of the Angry Birds app have clearly eliminated the risk that allowed information to leak. So, if you take the developers' word for it and Don't just stop hugging birds on your phone screen, at least update to the latest version of the app.
Zombie mode
Even if you're obsessed with zombies, you might want to skip zombie mode. "The game attempted to collect a lot of personal data from users' Google accounts, including Gmail usernames and passwords, as well as exploit aggressive advertising," Covington says. done, which in some cases, brick the device and force the user to reset. And start over." This is not a small problem.
In addition, Covington says, "This single game has impacted more than 50,000 Android users and is part of a family of modern games that are all based on the same code foundation. We advise users to update their devices. Take a closer look at the games on and remove games that are not being actively played or that provide a negative user experience.
Unfortunately, Zombie Mode can be difficult to uninstall for users. "They should start by finding and deleting the original Scary Granny Zombie Mod app," says Covington. "More important than removing the app, we recommend that any user who was fooled into installing the game Change your Google account password too.” You know what to do!
Door dash
"The popular and convenient DoorDash app was highlighted in a Washington Post investigation earlier this spring, which revealed an alarming amount of personal data that the app tracks and shares with other entities," Tomaschek says. does," says Tomaszek. "Research shows that when you open the app, you're sending your data to nine separate third-party trackers. That data includes the make and model of your phone, along with your name, email address, and Information like physical address is included.Furthermore, Facebook and Google Ad trackers are also being used by the app, which means both tech companies know every time you open the app.
Tomaschek recommends deleting the app entirely, but that doesn't mean the last you've heard of it. "Unfortunately, some apps may use 'uninstall trackers,' which essentially alert the app developer if the tracker detects that a user has uninstalled the app," he explains. "Although the app will no longer be able to track you or collect your data, you may see ads pop up all over your phone for the app you deleted. trying to get you to download it again." Here's how to tell if your iPhone has been hacked.
Kids apps
We love our kids, and our kids love our phones. And there may be times when letting them play a game can be an incredibly helpful distraction. But you should be "very careful about kids' games and apps that have little or no reviews," Barlow says. "[Also], with kids' apps, be wary of anything that stores video and audio content. That stuff lasts forever."
Dating apps
According to cybersecurity firm Clearo, both Tinder and Grindr collect more than 50 percent of your personal data (Facebook takes the cake at 70 percent. Think about it: They collect names, email addresses, phone numbers, employment , and even pet ownership statuses, get beyond the obvious location and age data. In 2020, five different dating apps suffered data breaches, leaking information from millions of profiles. Being, putting users at risk of phishing, phone scams and identity theft. Here are some iPhone privacy settings you can check right now to stay ahead of the curve.
Bell Bell app
Ringer users may think they're spies, but the app is hiding more than that in their phones. An investigation by the Electronic Frontier Foundation found that the Android app was loaded with third-party trackers that spread the names, IP addresses, mobile network carriers, persistent identifiers, and sensor data of four marketing and analytics companies.
Every app, every time
We hate to break the news to you, but all apps come with some level of risk. And regardless of the app, Salisbury recommends that users always review permissions, disable location services when possible (though some apps won't work without them), and turn off geotagging for photos. . "With this location and geotagging data, marketers and perhaps less sophisticated people can build a pretty decent profile of where you've been and when. The privacy implications should be clear," Salisbury says. "Disable the permission if you're not comfortable with an app having this type of access to your phone data or you can't think of a reason why the app needs this permission. If disabling the permission If not, uninstall the app. In the meantime, here are the safest messaging apps for iPhones and Androids.
Sources:
- Caleb Barlow, former VP of IBM Security and current CEO and President of CynergesTek
- Anna Berra, Cyber Security Specialist at Safe at Last
- Shane Sherman, CEO of TechLoris
- Raffi Jafari, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Caveni Digital Solutions
- Michael Covington, VP of Product, Vandra
- Dave Salisbury, director of the University of Dayton Center for Cybersecurity and Data Intelligence
- Attila Tomaschek, digital privacy expert at Proprivacy
- Harold Lee, Vice President of ExpressVPN
- Claro: "Which company uses the most of your data?"
- WizCase: "Data Breach: Millions of Dating App Records, Messages, and User Profiles Exposed in Data Leak"
- Electronic Frontier Foundation: "Ring doorbell app full of third-party trackers"
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