Lately in the news we have been hearing about security concerns over mobile apps on the android and apple platform the question is should you be concerned?
I would say yes and you should be careful at your mobile app selections
if you look at this situation it looks exactly how the pc landscape looks when it comes to applications you install on your desktop PC installing applications on your mobile phone comes with the same risks if not greater than on your desktop pc since mobile phones now have gps capabilities it is possible for a hacker to track your every move by activating the gps receiver on your phone they can also potentially have the ability to record your phone calls and also make phone calls via your phone by installing malware on your phone and turning it into a voip server
What to look for when picking apps?
When you pick applications to install on your mobile phone you should take into account a couple of things
1.) Is the application from a trusted author?
2.) What permissions is the application requesting?
3.) Read the privacy policy of the application
4.) Read online reviews
How to protect yourself?
To protect against these attacks you can do the following
1.) Don’t allow applications to see your location
2.) Install anti-Virus software on your phone
3.) Don’t install applications requesting too many privileges example a notepad application
Should not need access to your gps and your phone calls
4.) Make sure to have the latest version of mobile operating system on your phone
5.) Keep all applications up to date
As the mobile landscape starts to take over the pc and laptop landscape we need to use the same best practices we have implemented for our pc on our mobile devices
Until next time
Stay Secure!