How Mobile Apps Invade Your Privacy

               
There is no doubt you’ve heard about privacy issues related to Google, Facebook, and other prominent websites. But have you thought of the private data theft that could be occurring right now, on your mobile device? In this article, we discuss the major issues that affect privacy in mobile apps and how third-party ad libraries play a vital part in it.

More than 70 billion apps were downloaded last year from Google Play and iOS. With the popularity of mobile apps growing every day, we discuss the privacy concerns that should users must be made aware of.

 There are four levels of potential risk:

• Application layer: Vulnerable apps and malicious code gain access to your data and devices sensors.

• Hardware layer: Attackers take advantage of memory corruption defects in firmware to gain
administrative access to your firmware.

• Network layer: Information can be intercepted over the air now. Mobile Wifi has all the same problems that laptops have on Wifi.

• Operating system layer: Android and iPhone jailbreaks make use of defects in your phone’s operating system.

Application related risks:

Some mobile apps upload users’ contact lists and store them without permission. It has also been discovered that a fake version of the Instagram app for Android installed malware on users’ devices after being downloaded from third-party sites.

Also, fake applications are a common method used by attackers to spread malware. So, download apps only from trusted app stores.

Ad libraries

Smartphone users should also be aware of the risks that some mobile ads pose. In-app ad libraries can retrieve ads remotely and some ad libraries have the same permissions that users grant the app during installation. Remote access to ad libraries introduces a security risk by allowing third-party ad libraries to bypass general security.

Some ad libraries can access a user’s location, list of all apps on the phone, phone numbers and call logs.
So make sure you find your own balance of Privacy vs Functionality. Delete apps that do not allow you to change privacy or sharing settings. Make sure you read user’s responses and feedback before you download an app. Do not say yes to all the permissions that the app elicits from you. Read them carefully and download the app only if you are convinced.