All those who are using Android operating system loaded smartphones are hereby informed that they should be aware of some notorious apps which could ruin your Christmas season this year.
Cybersecurity researchers from Barracuda Networks have discovered in their study that some Christmas themed apps are proving malicious as they are having a lot of security flaws which could expose the users to steal user details, infect a device with malicious adware and exploit the user’s device by gaining control of the mobile phone without consent.
According to the report released by Barracuda’s Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service, more than 4,200 Android Christmas apps were found to be sneaking on the phone data of those who downloaded them. This includes shopping apps, Santa Video Chat services, and some holiday-themed games along with some video streaming portals.
Some even exhibited malicious behavior such as replacing the original version downloaded from Google Play Store with those displaying adware and some indulging in espionage activities.
Thus, the team of researchers from Barracuda is urging users not to rely on apps that are freely available on the internet and instead download them only from genuine marketplaces such as Apple and Google Play Store.
At the same time, keeping your smartphone up to date with regards to security and using an Anti Malware solution on the platform does make sense in such situations. Furthermore, if you are on a traveling spree, better rely on your mobile data rather than free Wi-Fi available at the public transport facilities.
