The Dangers of Mobile App Permissions
Furqan Rafiq
AM IT Governance at Meezan Bank | MS Information Security | IT Audit | Digital Forensics | Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)
Mobile applications are the easiest way to avail digital facilities compared to traditional practices. It is often seen that mobile applications request permission to access your mobile device's storage, location, gallery, and even the camera. If you allow apps to do so, be very vigilant, as this may open the door for hackers, phishers, and scammers to access your personal data.
FakeSpy, a mobile app marketed as a spy app, was discovered on the Google Play Store in 2020. Once installed, the app requested access to users' personal data and sent it to a remote server. Attackers then used this data to commit fraud and identity theft. FakeSpy was eventually removed from the Google Play Store, but it had already been downloaded by over 100,000 users.
A Pakistani man committed suicide in September 2023 after being harassed by a mobile loan app. The person approved the app's permissions, which allowed agents to steal all of his personal information, including contacts, personal and family photos. The app's recovery agents reportedly threatened to release his personal information, including photos and videos from his mobile media and gallery, and harm his family.
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Remediation:
To protect your data, here are the practices you must adopt:
Always remember that giving access to your mobile services is similar to giving the keys to your home to strangers. The above stories based on facts show how easy it is for malicious actors to create and distribute malware through official app stores. It is important to be cautious about which apps you download and install on your mobile device and to read the app's permissions carefully before granting them access to your personal data. Stay safe, stay happy!
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