Do your Apps know too much?

With the recent advent of App Stores (Oops, Apple might sue me for that one ;)) and users downloading millions of Apps the world over, daily, how can we be sure that our phones are still secure?

If we dial back a couple of years, there were no real security threats on our devices. Seriously, the worst it got was a bluetooth java app. But now, users have an increased demand from their phone, and with demands, comes new technology, and with that, comes security flaws.

You’ve been relatively safe with an iPhone though, haven’t you? Your phone knows nothing right? Wrong, users are complaining with the recent discovery of ‘consolidated.db’ and yes, its been tracking you for a year. The method has been used on nearly all mobile phones with position fixing, dating back to early devices such as the Nokia N95.

However, in terms of their App Store, the closed model approval process has worked to keep malicious apps out. There rigorous code inspection leaves nothing to chance.

With Android though, there is no approval process, theres just straight upload, from any developer. Be it a Script Kiddy, or a large corporation, Google doesn’t care. In many ways, this appeals to the target audience, its an OPEN phone. In others, its a security nightmare. Apps have been exposed as leaking your contacts, messaging everyone on your contacts list, stealing data, and the list goes on.

So next time your on your phone, don’t download the Shady Apps that are to good to be true; you’re not as safe as you think you are.