THREE types of apps are commonly used to hack smartphones, cyber-experts have warned.
It’s important to know the signs to look out for on your Android and iPhone – or risk serious cyber-danger.
Billions of people around the world use apps, so they’re commonly used by crooks to infect smartphones.
Once your device is compromised, crooks could spy on you, harvest enough info to defraud or extort you, or outright steal your money.
The U.S. Sun spoke to Paige Mullen, Criminologist and Cyber Crime Advisor at Advanced Cyber Defence Systems, about some of the most popular types of apps used by cybercriminals.
Ironically, phoney antivirus apps are a common choice for crooks to hack your device.
“A few common types of Android/iPhone apps that disguise malware/spyware include fake antivirus apps, claiming to protect against malware,” Paige told us.
“When, in fact, they are doing the exact opposite.”
Often crooks will try to get you to download these apps from the internet – rather than an official app store.
That’s easy to do on Android phones, but can also be done on a “jailbroken” iPhone that has been hacked to allow “side-loaded” apps.
However, dangerous apps can also make their way on to the official Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
So even though it’s much safer to use those stores, you should still always be careful when downloading apps.
Of course, hacked anti-virus apps aren’t the only type of dangerous download you should watch out for.
“Malicious banking apps can also be disguised as legitimate and mimic the look of an authentic bank,” Paige explained.
“They often require you to login and steal your credentials in order to use it for unauthorised purposes.”
And there’s a third type of app you should be aware of: trackers.
That’s because they will often ask for permissions that seem legitimate – but are quietly harvesting your private info or media.
“Spyware apps are particularly scary, they could be disguised as any type of application, particularly one that provides ‘useful’ tracking capabilities,” Paige revealed.
“Often these are used to steal personal information and monitor behaviour without consent of the user.”
What’s important is to be extra vigilant when downloading anti-virus, banking or “tracking” apps.
Look out for suspicious signs and then delete the apps immediately if you’re worried.
Clues that an app might be dangerous include requests for suspicious permissions (like unnecessary camera or microphone access), sudden slow performance or significant battery drain, or an app not doing what it promises to.
You should also check the app reviews to see if other people have reported any issues.
