Downloading Android Apps? The Riskiest Ones May Surprise You

You might want to think twice about using a free texting service or uploading a picture of that delicious-looking sandwich to your favorite social media site—a new study by Marble Security Labs has found that these and other mobile app categories are among the riskiest choices when it comes to corporations getting access to your personal data.

Marble Security Labs released its Mobile App Threat Report for March 2014, which analyzed Android apps in 34 categories during February to find out which were the most likely to be of risk to users. Interestingly enough, communication, social media and news apps were the top three riskiest categories, with games coming in as the least risky category. Popular categories including travel, business, music and medical also made the top 10, according to the press release.

“Our research proved that some mobile app categories put companies and consumers at more risk than others,” said Marble Security Founder and CTO David Jevans in a statement. “Mobile threats are not just about malware. Even seemingly innocent apps can pose data leak risks as they feed information to advertising engines or hackers’ servers, comb through contacts or emails, or exchange documents. Mobile security is a new and rapidly evolving field, and these findings help identify the categories that deserve the most scrutiny.”

Much has been written about the risk of downloading unvetted apps to your smartphone or tablet, but what makes this report interesting is the most dangerous apps are the ones most users suspect the least. Ask any smartphone users which apps to avoid when it comes to protecting your personal information and they’ll mostly name free game apps as the No. 1 problem; however, this research just goes to show that users need to remain vigilant when it comes to everything they download.

It’s also important to remember that malware isn’t the only thing users need to be worried about; often, the most dangerous invasions of privacy come from data mining.

While many apps are made with the intention of enhancing a user’s experience, there is always the inherent risk of downloading something that can endanger the user’s personal information or open the door for a malware attack. Whether apps you download are designed to help choose a personalized workout routine or show you somewhere new to eat, each app collects personal information, oftentimes without the user’s knowledge. This is especially onerous for businesses with BYOD policies because personal apps may be able to access corporate information, according to Marble Security.

With the breadth of new apps released every day, it is more important than ever to be wary of what information you make available on your mobile devices. Even if the app seems harmless, there is always a risk it could pose a risk to both your personal info and your corporate data. Marble’s study shows it’s more important than ever for users think twice about their downloading choices.