People who would never contemplate downloading an email attachment from a stranger buy application without thinking about the repercussion. Some programmes are hazardous; they include viruses, worms, malware, or other methods of hurting you. They may take your personal information, other people’s contact information, or passwords and distribute them with others.
However, you should use caution when downloading them to your mobile device.Fortunately, there are actions you may take to avoid installing a dangerous programme.
We’ll divide this question in 2 parts:
When Installing App From Official Stores
Look For Reviews
The reviews and comments help assure us that the app we’ve picked is trustworthy and, most likely, not dangerous. Because, on average, harmful or insecure apps receive bad ratings and comments, indicating that they should be avoided.
Look For Description
Look for misspelt words, improper sentences, and poor grammar, as a reputed and reliable business will not make such errors.
Look ForDownload count
Always prefer to use an app with a high download count; this indicates that the app is likely secure, but many scam apps also have a high download count; therefore, you should not trust an app only on the basis of its popularity. After all, a number of popular applications are also found to be malicious.
Watch out App age
Look for release date. If an application is more than a year or two old but has millions of downloads, this is a major red flag. It’s likely the numbers are artificially inflated. Malicious developers accomplish this by repeatedly downloading their software using bots or phoney accounts.
Check permissions
Permissions required by applications must be reasonable or suitable with their purpose; for instance, certain applications may request access to your current location or phone conversations. GPS tracking is a reasonable need for anything like a maps application. However, you should avoid installing a video player application that demands this information.
Look For Last Release
Always check for recent updates before installing an app; if it is found to be too old, such as a year old, this is a clear indication that the developer is not actively working on the app and is not patching vulnerabilities reported by security teams; alternatively, there may be no security team at all to test the app’s security.
When Installing App From Outside of Official Stores
When attempting to install an application from a source other than the official store, whether it is a third-party app store or a website hosting a downloadable APK or IPA file, you should always avoid doing so; regardless of how many measures you take, this will invariably end badly.
These applications are risky because they are not scanned for malicious code or viruses. As a result, by installing these apps, you risk infecting your smartphone with malware. Certain apps may contain malware, which collects personal information from your device and sends it to unknown recipients.
Numerous other risks exist while downloading applications from unofficial app stores. Some may cause your device to become unusable, while others may have more sinister intentions, such as capturing your personal information and forwarding it to the app’s owner or another attacker group. Malicious applications may have backdoors that enable threat organisations to obtain access to your device or even block you from using it entirely.
Conclusion
Consider the following points when looking for a secure app, which we explored in detail in our blog. Always download applications from the official store.
Look For Reviews
Look For Description
Look For Download count
Watch out App age
Check permissions
Additionally, for added precaution Install a good antivirus that will help to protect your phone from malicious applications andalways keep it updated.
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