IT’S always best to be careful when downloading apps to your phone as even legitimate app stores aren’t safe from cybercriminals.
Cybersecurity experts at Kaspersky regularly provide useful advice on apps, which may make you want to delete some from your device.
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According to a post from Hugh Aver, a security expert at Kaspersky, there’s a fatal flaw in some apps that should make you reconsider downloading them.
He wrote: “Consider the list of permissions the app requests during installation.
“If a program demands too much, try to find something similar with more modest requests.”
If you have a suspicious app on your phone already and it’s requesting to access unnecessary device permissions, it’s advisable to delete it.
Apps often request permissions to access sensitive parts of your phone but criminals can abuse these in sinister ways.
Some apps do generally require permission to access things like your location and camera.
However, hackers exploit this and create fake apps that are purely designed to steal your data and even your financial information.
Simply put, it’s a problem when an app requests privacy permission that just doesn’t make sense.
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If a calculator app is asking for access to your microphone and it’s not clear why, that could be a dangerous sign that something is very wrong.
Fortunately, it’s easy to view and edit app permissions on both Android and iPhone.
On an Apple device, go to Settings, Privacy, and then App Privacy so you can turn on the privacy report.
Check the report at any time to see which apps are accessing your personal information and how often they’re doing this.
Also, watch out for small green and orange dots appearing at the top of your iPhone.
Orange indicates your microphone is being used by an app and green indicates that the camera is.
Android users need to the Settings app and then tap Apps or See All Apps.
Then, click on an app and select Permissions.
You can then easily change app permissions that the app has asked for.
