Android Apps Are Stealing Your Data

When we install any app to an android smartphone, we simply it asks for several permissions to work properly. While there are some apps that are using this permission to steal your data from your phone. So, whenever you install an app on your phone please pay attention to what permission it is asking.

For example, a browser application asks for permission to ‘Contacts’ but that app does not have any feature or function that require to access contacts of the phone. So why does it require that? Obviously, it may be stealing your phonebook data.

Now there are some apps that may use permission for a good region but then manipulate it to gain access to restricted data of your phone.

There was a survey on apps as many as 88,000 and the result of the research was shocking. There were a total of 1325 Apps that are using several different methods to steal from your data whether it is second channel or by being cover and by circumventing permissions.

This is the reason we need to keep up with the latest OS and software updates regarding security.

So, if you are concerned about your data there are several steps you can perform to keep your data safe:

1.    Use Password Manager: Always make a complex password and a different one for a different purpose. But remembering so many complex passwords is hard for a person. So, you can take the help of a Password Manager here. This app will store all your passwords in it with encryption and password protection. Some apps of this kind also support fingerprint.

2.    VPN on Public Wi-Fi: Public Wi-Fi is the most common place to breach into a phone or seed it with data breaching software or apps. But there is a glitch too. while using a VPN make sure it a trustworthy app. Because some app uses practices that are not good so be aware of those apps you might end up compromising your data instead of saving it. One best app for this is Orbot that is available on Play store.

3.    Apps Permission: As already told be careful which app is asking for what permission. If an app requests any fishy app permission be aware of it, like the previous example of the browser, or like a calculator app needs access to your contacts and location. This kind of apps is everywhere. So, keep yourself about these apps.

4.    Background Check: Before installing any application go check its review, after that check if the company that made that app is trustworthy or not. Perform some Google search, it may take a maximum of 5 min but it is so less for protecting your data. Because there are several mobile application development company who are making good apps for their users while there are some who are making them for fishing purposes.

5.    Stay Updated: Smartphone manufacturing companies keep sending security and OS updates as soon as they are available via air. Some users take these updates lightly and do not update the smartphone’s software or OS. They think that the phone is working fine, and it does not need any update. Those ignored updates are necessary, a small security fix is necessary for a manner to protect your data so keep your smartphone updated.

6.    Apps from Stores Only: There are some apps that do not fulfil Play store guidelines and not allowed to be uploaded on Play store. So, they make their apps available on the different sites that allow any android app, or they keep the app alive on their side. Do not use apps like these, Find an alternative of the app that is on Play store or other online solutions but does not put your data into a compromising position.