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Report: Be Wary of Free Android Apps By Barry Levine November 6, 2012 11:11AM     Nearly 7 percent of free Android apps could access user address books, the Juniper Networks study found, while slightly more than 2 percent of paid ones could, and 2.5 percent of free Android apps could silently send text messages versus 1.45 percent of paid apps. In other capabilities, such as secretly initiating calls, free apps also outnumbered paid.   Related Topics Android Apps Google Play Mobile Security Privacy Latest News Chrome Gets Conversational Search Attention GIFers, It's Pronounced 'Jif' Nvidia GPU Boosts Citrix XenDesktop Security Alert: New Trojan Attacking Blue Coat Beefs Up Big Data Security As many as one-quarter of free Android apps track location data . That's one of many findings in a new report that raises security concerns in free apps available in Google Play, the technology giant's online store. The report audited 1.7 million apps and was undertaken by Juniper Networks' Mobile Threat Center over 18 months in 2011 and 2012. Many of the free apps, the report said, "collect information or require permissions unnecessary for the described functionality of the apps." This is not the first report to find that mobile apps are collecting, and, in some cases, transmitting information irrelevant to their purported needs. In late 2010, for instance, The Wall Street Journal reported a large portion of sampled smartphone apps were transmitting the device 's unique ID to other companies without users' awareness or consent, and some were also sending location, age and other personal details. Collecting for Local Ads? However, that story, undertaken two years ago with a much smaller selection, determined that the Android apps it analyzed transmitted less data than iPhone apps that the paper also reviewed. The more comprehensive Juniper report said that a significant number of Android applications "contain permissions and capabilities that could expose sensitive data or access device functionality that they might not need." For instance, while some of the Android apps use location data to customize local ads, the report found that many more apps were collecting that information than were actually serving up ads. Nine percent of apps worked with the top five ad networks, but 24.1 percent tracked location. This fact that so many more free apps are using location tracking than are serving local ads, the company warned, led it "to believe that there are several apps collecting information for reasons less apparent than advertising." 'Most Concerning' Category In addition, nearly 7 percent of free apps could access user address books, while slightly more than 2 percent of paid ones could, and 2.5 percent of free apps could silently send text messages versus 1.45 percent of paid apps. In other capabilities, such as secretly initiating calls in the background or accessing the device's camera, free apps also greatly outnumbered paid apps. By category, the "most concerning" were racing games, as well as apps related to cards and casinos. The report recommends that developers correlate permissions to actual app functionality, and that there be better differentiations between kinds of permissions -- such as the difference between an app wanting to place an outgoing call, compared to a financial app that offers the benign convenience of being able to call local branches from within the app. (continued...) 1  |  2  |  Next Page >   Tell Us What You Think Comment: Name: Robert: Posted: 2012-11-07 @ 11:54am PT NOTHING is without cost.... Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Redefine the way you do business by analyzing market trends, increasing conversion, and creating customer loyalty through Microsoft Dynamics. Unlock your potential through real-time CRM solutions in sales, marketing, and customer service to help your business become more dynamic than ever before.  Mobile Tech 1.   Chrome Gets Conversational Search 2.   Armageddon for Phone-Maker HTC? 3.   De Brouwer's Magical Health Tricorder 4.   High-Tech Guns Disabled Remotely 5.   iPhone Takes a Hit in Satisfaction > Google Glass Raises Privacy Concerns House privacy panel wants answers. Average Rating: Mandatory BYOD Is Catching On Will be required by many within 4 years. Average Rating: Thorsten Heins Predicts Tablet Demise BlackBerry PlayBook may color his view? Average Rating:

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Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

Dell Kills Its Public Cloud Effort, Will Offer Partner Marketplace Putting the kibosh on its efforts to build out a public cloud, Dell has announced a new program to offer a choice of cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service through a central marketplace of partners.   Dell's Dismal Quarter Shows PC Maker's Challenges Dell's financial decay worsened during its latest quarter as the company slashed its personal computer prices in response to the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets in the beleaguered industry.   U.S. Defense Department Gives iOS 6 Security OK In a vote of confidence for Apple's iOS devices, the Defense Department has given the all-clear for employees to use iPads and iPhones for work. But only those running iOS 6, and only if issued by the government.

Mobile Enterprise Spotlight

Google Adds Conversational Search to Chrome If you like chatting with Siri, sending voice texts while driving or telling your Xbox when to pause or rewind a DVD, you're going to enjoy the upgrade to Google's Chrome browser.   HTC Execs Bolt, Sales Slide. Is the End Near for the Company? What's going on with HTC? A string of executives quitting and slowing sales for new phone models are raising questions about the health of this major phone maker. Is the end in sight?   Walter De Brouwer's Magical Medical Tricorder In cluttered old offices rooted in the past, Walter De Brouwer works feverishly to conjure the future, hammering away on a gadget that promises to revolutionize the way we monitor our health.

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