#YesToAll Is Like Playing With Fire – SmartPhone Crimes On The Rise

Cybersecurity - Mobile Phones
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Almost everyone owns a smartphone today and consequently Android is the most widely used OS (operating system) by the consumers and unfortunately, the hackers too!!

Most users download 10 or more applications for which they grant all permission without realising the accompanying perils and security risks associated with this.

In a recent incident, A 22-year-old from Gurgaun discovered that someone hacked her photos saved in her mobile’s password-protected phone.

Consequently, she was approached by an unknown individual who threatened to upload her pictures online and this prompted her to approach cybercrime experts.

For the uninitiated, there are several apps that users download online which require access to your contact list, your messages, gallery and more. In other words, once granted this application is capable of reading almost everything stored on your mobile and can transmit the information back to their home servers or to a possible hacker.

A city based Cyber Security Expert speaking to Pune365 opines, Cellphones are complex and contain a lot of personal information, everyone should know to judge whether the app they are installing is safe or not.

Some of the apps may contain malware that can damage your smartphone and put the information on your phone at peril.

Majority of apps are designed safely to download but there are some hackers waiting to steal the information on your device. Some apps tap into your phone and steal your precious personal data.

  • Tips To Stay Safe With Mobile Applications:

  • Don’t download impulsively, Know the source you’re downloading the app from. 
  • Avoid downloading apps from any third party side, also avoid the third-party apps,(apps with same name different logo)
  • Never ignore the update of the OS you receive on your phone, keep your phone updated. This can save you from hackers.
  • Download only from a reputed marketplace like google play, IOS or other reputable stores.
  • Before installing any app, check for reviews, user ratings and pay attention on the negative ones as they often come from often from the legitimate users. Often, the very  positive reviews come from the hackers or by the app developers.
  • It is not compulsory but it definitely safer to use a reputed mobile security app to protect your device.

Increasing awareness about mobile security is critical in India. Relying on reputed marketplace does not rule out the dangers.  these companies make sure that they remove the malware apps if they find out a reputed issue but some apps slip past and users tend to download them.

The Gurgaon incident comes to my mind each time I am downloading an app or saving a picture on my phone. It is really worrying, says Shriya Rajput, Makeup artist.

Whenever they ask for data, it is always dangerous and almost 80 per cent of apps available on the store seeks permission to access your mobile phone’s gallery, messages and more.

Shriya quips, “Why isn’t there an app designed in a way where we can update only the information that we think is required?” It should be made compulsory for app designers to follow a certain protocol.

Moreover, we don’t even know what is safe to use and what not too! The awareness about cybercrime in our country is very low. The government should put in extra efforts for organising a seminar. Even media should come together and improve cyber security awareness, she added.

I don’t think all available apps are safe or malware free just because they are on the marketplace, says Rahul Kembhavi, Artist.

I avoid registering on apps and try to put the bare minimum information required and if keeps asking for more, I prefer avoiding the app.

With following this basic rule, I have never been attacked by any malicious software but a lot of times, I have encountered a problem of apps running faulty due to malware like viruses.

I check reviews of the app before installing it to make sure that I am using the most preferred app. Though this may not be the safest way, protecting data is essentially, so I do what I can.

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Ankita Malekar