Warning! Some Apps Are Stealing Information from Your Smartphone

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that Facebook has been in hot water about its handling of user data. As personal data becomes more valuable, fear about apps stealing information is on the rise. That pair of shoes you looked up on your work computer that’s now showing up on your phone’s Facebook app? Not a coincidence. But before you become alarmed, know that you’re not alone. Millions of people recently woke up to the realization that seemingly harmless apps track way more of our personal data than previously thought. Just look at this NYT article detailing the extent that a single app like Facebook has delved into our lives. Of course there is a difference between necessary data tracking and outright malicious data theft. In this article, we discuss the various ways malicious apps steal information from users.

Phishing Practices

Phishing is when an entity tries to fraudulently obtain a user’s personal information, such as usernames and passwords. You may be most familiar with phishing through email fraud, where you’re prompted to sign in to an unfamiliar website. Likewise, some apps try to trick you into revealing your passwords so they can steal your information. They do this by seeking access to almost everything on your phone. Another way is by forcing you to “log in” to your Google account, for example. Of course, you’re not being “logged in” anywhere. Usually, that’s just a front to get you to enter your personal data, which is then used to access all of your other accounts. Scared? You can do something about it. Read this article we wrote and watch the video below to learn about protecting your phone.

Apps Stealing Your Information in Pairs

This is a bit of bad news for Android users. In 2017, The Atlantic released an article revealing that some Android apps work in pairs to steal your information. The article explains that certain apps, when downloaded on the same Android phone work together to send your data elsewhere. First, the app with access to your information shares that info with another app. The other app then distributes your information. The most shared type of data, the article states, is the user’s location. Some stealth!

Circumventing Access Restrictions

Apps want to access almost everything on your smartphone. Sure, you can deny them access. But, just how often do apps actually stop there? First, let’s start with why apps want more access than what they actually need to function. Sale of user information can be quite lucrative. App developers get paid a ton to sell your information to companies that want to sell something to your or, more nefariously, target you for something else. An app that tracks your browsing history is more likely to profit from that data than one that has no access at all.

So you’ve done your due diligence and denied a certain app access to your contacts, browsing history, etc. It won’t try to access your information, right? Well, that’s not always the case. Apps stealing information have ways to circumvent permissions restrictions. One way they can do that is by tracking your browsing data over a Wi-Fi network. Additionally, when was the last time you actually read an app’s terms of the agreement before you signed it? Often times, you have already permitted an app to track or share your information just by clicking that “I agree” button.

Protecting Your Information

One way or another, apps will access your information. But you can choose how much of your information to give away. That starts with being selective about which apps to download. You can also be as selective as you want about how much access you want to grant each app. Click on this link to learn of more ways you can boost your smartphone’s security.