Your Phone's Flashlight App Could Be Spying On You

 

Your Phone's Flashlight App Could Be Spying On You

Many of Smartphone users install apps without reading the license agreement and terms and conditions. Well in this busy world where new apps are coming every day, anyone will hardly care to notice those. But if you have installed FlashLight Apps in your Android, iOS, and Windows Phone, then it's time to pay attention to those factors as Security Firm SnoopWall reports that top free FlashLight Apps from Google Play Store or similar to that could be spying on you.

FlashLight Apps are generally among those apps which let user use their phone's flash sensors as Torch. But as the report says, those apps might have gone away from their duty. They might have been secretly recording your sensitive personal information – including location of the phone, content of the text messages, as well as details of the owner and contact, and selling it to market research and advertising companies. Experts also say that those Apps could be developed by vicious mind keeping the fact of stealing data from users' phone in mind.

Its is shocking that the blacklisted apps are those which have highest downloads in Google Play, Apple App Store and Windows Phone Store. SnoopWall said that the apps in Top1-10 category of Play Store seeks permission for accessing sensitive user information. The blacklisted apps are:

1) Super Bright LED flashlight, 

2) Brightest Flashlight Free, 

3) Tiny Flashlight + LED, 

4) Flashlight, 

5) Brightest LED Flashlight, 

6) Color Flashlight, 

7) High Powered Flashlight,

8) Flashlight HD LED and Flashlight: LED Torchlight.

Gary Miliefsky of firm SnoopWall said, "We’ve all become victims of installing many apps on our smartphones and tablets that do much more than the service they should provide. We have opened a Pandora’s Box to online predators, cyber criminals and spies – all through these apps we foolishly trust.”

Though Google has made it compulsory to the App developers to list the tasks that their App's gonna seek permission for, People hardly care about them. When you install an APK you start clicking 'Next' until 'Install' appears. Well It's not a good practice. So from now on whenever you install any App keep in mind to notice each and every factor, if you care about your Security.

SnoopWall said that iPhone's inbuilt flash app is in the safe side but they can't assure your about the othird-party apps available in the Apple App store and Windows Phone Store.