Over 1.5 Million Downloads: Malicious Apps Caught Collecting User Data on Google Play, Prompting New Security Concerns
Security experts are raising the alarm after shockingly discovering
malicious applications on Google Play that extract user data.
The
researchers claim the apps have already crossed the 1.5 million
download mark with no signs of stopping. Their main aim is to grab a
hold of user data that is clearly not a part of the functionality that
was promised.
The platforms ironically are coming forward from
identical publishers and can carry out functions without any form of
engagement involved in terms of the user. See, the main prospect seems
to be launching and then stealing data and then passing those on to
Chinese servers. So as you can imagine, it’s quite alarming for obvious
reasons.
The news was sent out to Google but despite it being on
their radar, it’s shocking how the Android maker is yet to do anything
about the matter. They seem to be waiting for more bad news to strike
and that’s extremely questionable behavior coming from that direction.
Today,
both the apps called File and Data Recovery have enmassed close to a
million installations with no signs of stopping. The count is expected
to rise but with more attention being drawn to the subject, we could be
seeing some action coming forward by the tech giant.
The apps were brought to people’s attention, thanks to Pradeo
who is known for providing reliable options for security on
smartphones. They confirmed that their rule of action is never to
collect user data through devices and that’s a part of their policy that
they happen to be so proud of.
But what sorts of data from
users are being extracted? This entails the likes of contact lists,
email IDs, social media platforms, and more. Other than that, images
from the gallery as well as audio and any videos present are also taken
advantage of by the app and recovered as desired.
Similarly,
country codes used for dialing contacts on the user’s list, followed by
their location, name of the network, and name of SIM provider are also
added. In the same way, the device’s exact details such as brand name
and model are also looked at in detail.
Most applications do
provide reasons as to why they end up taking advantage of some of the
users’ details like that shown above. However, this is just shocking how
most data collected isn’t needed for managing files and therefore,
taking over users’ data to such a massive extent is wrong for obvious
reasons.