Importance Of Securing Your Mobile Apps

Technology has improved at a fast pace especially with regards to mobile devices. While this has improved our lives in many ways, it has also brought new risks in the form of malware and spyware. Everyone uses some or the other mobile apps for work and fun. There are millions of apps in the market and it is not possible to scan every app for their security features. You may be using some of the apps that are prone to hacking attacks. Some of them may contain malware and spyware along with regular features. For every user mobile is the handiest device used for various purposes. People go for online payment and shopping using this tiny device and hence the security of device as well as data holds paramount importance. There are smart hackers who are always prepared to get the data of these devices with the help of various software, malware and spyware used under camouflage of some important software and applications. Those who do not know such tricks may get trapped and suffer from a huge damage.

In this way, you may not even be aware that your phone is having such vulnerabilities. Let us try to understand the importance of having mobile app security these days in a detailed manner.

How gaming app clones can increase risks?

For many people games on mobile is a regular task. They try to get new and latest games from various platforms. As these games are costly, game lovers try to get them from unknwon sources which offer it for free. Nothing to surprise as one can get the game with malware which is hidden and transfer the data of the phone. Attackers usually try to target popular game users by cloning the gaming apps. You might have heard about PUBG games that became very popular in recent years. It was officially not there on Google for a long time, but many clones were available with similar names. Many novice users do not understand such things and they fall into the trap of downloading such fake apps. This can compromise the overall security of the app to a large extent. You should always verify the source before you download any gaming app or other general app from the Internet.

This is just one instance and there are many other cases where fake apps were created for popular apps in the market. Many users download such fake apps and expose their mobile phones to malware and spyware. If you have also downloaded any clone apps, you should remove them immediately and scan your phone for malware and spyware.

What do spyware and malware do on your phone?

The first thing is you need to have tight security of your device and if you go online regularly you need to go for some paid packages for such security also. You might be wondering what spyware and malware can do to your phone. Well, they may be harmless in many cases. But, you should never ignore them as they can pose serious threat to mobile app security in the long run. Most malware are spam programs that put junk data into your phone and slow them down. They may also send spam messages from your phone to other people in your contacts list. This message may lead them to believe some wrong facts about you also.

On the other hand, spyware can be used to know about your personal data like chat messages, video calls and images in your phone. Not only that, they can also collect your financial data which can be used to withdraw money from your mobile wallet or banking account.

In most cases, malicious programs silently collect user data like browsing habits and search data as there is great demand for such data in the market. Many companies buy such data to analyze market scenarios before launching their products and services.

Common precautions to take while using mobile apps

● Do not download apps from unverified sources. When you do so, it can give away your personal information to hackers if the app contains spyware or malware. There are many instances of this happening to even the most knowledgeable users.

● Always monitor the battery usage regularly. If you notice that your battery is draining without using your phone for a long duration, it can be an indication of malware or spyware working in the background.

● Always read reviews about apps which you want to download. This can give you some idea about the loopholes in such apps. You may be able to protect yourself from many hazards if you follow this simple rule everytime you download an app.

● Watch the permissions given to apps while installing them on your phone. In most cases, you notice that spyware and malware apps ask for unnecessary permission to access your camera and files on the phone.

● Update your phone regularly as this will install the latest security patches for various apps. This is an important step with regards to mobile app security that will avoid many problems in future. In this way, your phone will be less vulnerable to attacks. If you are not doing this on a regular basis, your apps will be running with various security loopholes that can become vulnerable to hacking attacks.

● Always log out of the apps after using them on your phones. While it may sound convenient to keep them logged in, this can leave your phone vulnerable as spyware can collect data easily from logged in accounts.

You will be surprised to know that even the biggest tech companies are prone to attacks. Some of the big names like Whatsapp and Instagram have also faced security vulnerabilities in the past. In this regard, your only protection comes with updating the latest security patches for these apps on a regular basis. Apart from that, you should also insist on logging out of the apps after using them. This can save you from hacking attempts in most cases.