Google Play Store fans are currently at risk of data leakage as security experts claim that 100 millions Android users’ data are exposed online.
If you are an Android fan and usually download applications from the popular Google Play Store, then you need to be careful since more than 100 million users were affected by a new massive breach, which possibly leaked their sensitive data. Because of this, security experts are now warning to avoid installing various online tools and applications from the popular publisher, especially those to which they are not very familiar.
Almost two dozen, around 23 to be precise, Android applications found on the Google Play Store are at the heart of the issue. Researchers from cybersecurity experts Check Point said the offending Android applications were using unprotected real-time databases which led to the issue.
This misconfigurations of third-party cloud services meant personal data such as emails, passwords, photos, chat messages, and location info could have ended up with bad actors. On the other hand, Check Point security researchers explained that the offending applications on the Google Play Store ranged in popularity from as little as 10,000 downloads to over 10million.
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Popular Google Play Store applications that CheckPoint highlighted included Logo Maker, Screen Recorder, and Astro Guru. This trio of applications all have over 10 million installs and, in the case of Screen Recorder, was rated by hundreds of thousands of Android users.
In total, CheckPoint highlighted a dozen Google Play Store applications that had over 10 million installs, with three, such as iFax, having over 500,000 users. If you are one of the fans of popular applications, here are some things you can do to protect your data.
How to Protect Your Data From Malicious Applications
If you want to keep your personal data safe, there are various things you can do. The most important method is to keep your apps updated. Since various hackers and other cybercriminals are already evolving and finding new ways to efficiently steal your sensitive credentials, the application developers are also releasing some patches and updates that will provide additional protection for your data.
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Aside from this, you also need to remember to always install apps from official sources. This simply means avoiding installing tools and applications from unknown sites or third-party providers. The best thing you can do is rely on your Play Store or Apple App Store.
On the other hand, you also need to be more careful when providing permissions to your apps. Remember, some of them are not 100% safe. This means that only the most trusted applications should be provided permissions to access your sensitive data. If you want to protect your information further, here are other habits you need to practice;
- Be careful when using public Wi-Fi.
- Train employees on BYOD best practices.
- Practice good password hygiene.
Before you do these methods, you need to remember that they are not 100% efficient most of the time. Besides, no data is really completely safe, especially since technology is evolving rapidly as time goes by.
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