How many of you have downloaded apps from an app store and thought about where they were coming from? Since you were downloading them from a trusted source, did you read the permissions and what information they were going to access or just skip through? I have personally been guilty of doing this. What you may not have thought about it is that some seemingly harmless apps can access personal information and even infect your cell phone and tablet with malware. Malicious applications that mimic legitimate applications are popping up in all the major play stores.
In a Fox Business article, they found that there were 718,000 malicious Android apps worldwide. Android now has 79.3 percent of the world’s market share in devices which means that there are many people with Android devices that could have downloaded these malicious apps. It’s not only Android devices that are susceptible to attack, just because Apple is known for its tight security, doesn’t mean that iPhones and iPads are off the radar of hackers.
To show the world that not all apps are safe in the Apple app store, a team of computer scientists introduced a “Jekyll” app. It’s an application that passed Apple’s gatekeepers, but once in the app store was able to be updated to include malware. The team at the Georgia Institute of Technology who was responsible for the test said that the Jekyll app can launch a variety of malicious attacks which include sending social media updates, stealing information, taking photos, attacking other apps and even sending text messages and emails. Although this was a test and the malicious app was removed before anyone could download it, it still proves a point that not all apps that you can download from an app store are safe.
How can you tell if you have a malicious app on your phone? Although some Trojan viruses and malware run virtually undetectable on your phone, there are some warning signs that may help you spot if your phone is under attack. If you spot your phone receiving or sending weird text messages, your phone bill having strange charges, international calls on your call log that you didn’t make or you have apps that don’t open properly or work these could be signs you have a virus. Also, if you notice your battery draining more quickly than usual, you may be infected with a malware.
You can prevent malicious apps from accessing your phone by taking a few precautions. Install a mobile antivirus to your device and be careful about the apps you download. Make sure that you are downloading from a trusted source. You should also be reading the permissions when you download apps. If you are downloading an app and you don’t feel comfortable with what they would like to access for your device, don’t download it.
What do you do to keep your device safe? Have you been affected by a malicious app?
About the Author: Jen Carl is a freelance writer and blogger based out of Raleigh, NC. You can find her sharing her love of technology on the True Wireless blog, where she writes about the latest in wireless news.
