Are you allowing that app to sneak into your photos?

INDIA: With the rise in both mobile malware and apps designed to collect personally identifiable information, McAfee, part of Intel Security, warns mobile users to think twice before downloading apps.

McAfee's security warning is a timely reminder as Mobile Asia Expo brings together industry leaders in mobile communications to address challenges and innovations facing the industry.

"In recent years, mobile and tablet devices have become the number one way in which we connect to the Internet, use social media sites, conduct online banking and make financial transactions on the go. McAfee has found that privacy-invading apps dominate the landscape, some containing malware, and many leveraging ad libraries to target unsuspecting app users," says Sean Duca, Chief Technology Officer, McAfee Asia Pacific, part of Intel Security.

Recent McAfee research shows that an alarming amount of mobile users are allowing apps to mine their personal data in exchange for use of the app. Over half (51 per cent) of users allow access their photos, 43 per cent to personal contact information and a further 38 per cent allow access to their phone's contact list - sharing contact details for friends, family and colleagues. McAfee also found that 82 per cent of apps track you, and 80 per cent of apps collect location information.

"While most apps are completely safe to use, some apps have a covert mission - to collect and share information on users. It is because of this, we are worried about the level of personal information that users are naturally willing to share with apps without concern," says Duca.

Further, some recent reports have shown that, globally, 2.4 million new mobile malware samples were added in 2013, up 190 per cent from 2012. Across the Asia Pacific Region, mobile users in India, Russia, and Japan encountered the most malicious code.

One of the most common behaviours - shown by more than one-third of the malware - is to collect and send device data that can be used to build a profile of the mobile device owner's behaviour. There's also a high prevalence of acts commonly associated with device hijacking, such as making the mobile device into a bot and installing other, even more malicious malware.

"Just one malware infection could have a devastating effect on a user's phone, blocking access to contact details, phone usability or it could be programmed to skim personal information without their knowledge. It could also impact other devices on a home or community network," says Duca.