Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers got it pretty easy this past year. Not only could those of us avoid the chaotic crowds and purchase goodies on our computers, but also download an array of mobile apps for these two days to get gifts at the touch of our fingers. But do these apps put your phone in danger of malware infection?
Hewlett-Packard analyzed some of the most popular iOS apps in order to find out if there were any real security risks on Black Friday and Cyber Monday mobile apps. The company used its software security program, Fortify-on-Demand, to scan Black Friday Shopping, Black Friday 2013, Cyber Monday 2013, Black Friday, Best Cyber Monday Deals, Black Friday App by Slickdeals, TGI Black Friday, TGI Cyber Monday, and BFADs.net Black Friday.
The company discovered that only 11 percent of the apps passed data storage encryption standards. This means that someone who steals another user's device could access personal information without entering a PIN. Additionally, over 50 percent of the apps tracked devices via geo-location, which leaks users' locations if the app sent them to an unauthorized third party.
It doesn't stop there. Ninety percent of the scanned apps cached users' private information without encryption so passwords and account and private data could be leaked to anyone who steals the phone. The same percentage of the surveyed apps also sent out sensitive material, including purchasing information, unencrypted from the phone.
Downloading these mobile apps, or ones like these, obviously puts you at risk to even the simplest attacks. Before downloading any apps, make sure you know what information it can access. Don't let exciting discounts cloud your thinking; better to keep your information safe than nabbing a good deal at the risk of letting your personal information fall into bad hands.
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