In today's digital age, mobile apps have become an integral part of our lives. We rely on them for everything – banking, shopping, gaming, and social media. But have you ever considered that these apps can also pose a threat to your phone and data? Recently, cybersecurity experts identified several dangerous apps that can compromise your phone's privacy and even grant hackers access to your bank accounts. Today, we will discuss nine such dangerous apps that you should immediately remove from your phone.
The Growing Threat of Cybercrime and Google Fraud Alert
Cybercrime has increased significantly in recent years. The rise of digital payments and online banking has led to a corresponding increase in attacks by hackers and cybercriminals. Platforms like Google continuously strive to identify and remove malicious apps from the Play Store. However, some dangerous apps still manage to appear, posing risks to user security.
Cyber Research and Intelligence Labs (CRIL) recently released a list of 20 apps actively stealing user data. Nine of these apps masquerade as cryptocurrency wallets, directly jeopardizing users' bank accounts and wallets.
Which are these 9 dangerous apps?
- Suiet Wallet
- Hyperliquid
- Pancake Swap
- Meteora Exchange
- OpenOcean Exchange
- Harvest Finance blog
- BullX Crypto
- SushiSwap
- Raydium
Installing these apps on your phone can be extremely risky. These apps use malicious programs to attempt to steal your personal data, especially cryptocurrency wallet information.
How are these apps dangerous?
When using these apps, you are often required to enter a 12-word security code or recovery phrase, crucial for accessing your wallet. If an unauthorized person obtains these 12 words, they can control your entire wallet and steal your money.
Hackers use these apps to attempt to access your phone and data. Some apps are disguised as video tools or gaming apps, used to infect your phone. Additionally, these apps often hide their privacy policies' URLs, deceiving users.
Why is it important to remove these apps from your phone?
- Risk of Data Theft: These apps steal your personal and financial data, potentially causing significant financial problems.
- Risk of Bank Account Emptied: If your wallet or banking app password or recovery code falls into the hands of hackers, your bank account could be emptied.
- Privacy Violation: Your private information, such as phone number, email, photos, and other sensitive data, may be leaked.
- Compromised Phone Security: These apps can install malware on your phone, potentially slowing it down or damaging it.
What to do to stay safe?
Use only official and reliable apps: Even the Play Store contains many fake apps, so always check the app's ratings, reviews, and developer information before downloading.
- Avoid unknown links and apps: Do not click on any unknown links or messages, and do not download any unfamiliar apps.
- Regularly update your phone and apps: Updates often include security features, so keep them up-to-date.
- Use b passwords and 2-step verification: Employ b passwords and two-factor authentication for your banking and financial apps.
- Check all app permissions: Do not grant excessive permissions to any app, especially if the app does not require them.