App can make phone calls without your knowledge!

thegoodman

The Android phones have a big risk to the malware.
Even the Google bouncer which checks for malware have been hacked.


http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/06/04/duo-security-sends-a-trojan-horse-inside-googles-bouncer-explores-and-fingerprints-its-guts/

Why can't Google check the apps before release?
May be too much to loss from the dogy advertisers.

DUTR

thegoodman wrote: »

Why can't Google check the apps before release?
May be too much to loss from the dogy advertisers.

Why ask the question if you think you already know the answer?

sillygoose

LBE Privacy Guard is quite handy as it keeps an eye on your apps and during app installs it butts in and lets you set which permissions you want the program to have. I was surprised how many apps ran without complaint without certains access right that it didn't really need. Not had any issues with it.

I don't let apps keep updating either, if it works and does what I want I block it. If the writer is constantly nagged to add stuff to an app it either get broken or bloated. Wait until a new version has plenty of feedback 1st.

bubblesmoney

Android tells you the app permissions. With iOS you don't know the permissions.

" On the iPhone, on the other hand, it's a different story. All apps are considered equal and can access many resources by default, and without having to tell the user. So, while on Android you'll be able to see that a malicious app is suspicious the moment you try to install it, on the iPhone iOS, you'll have no idea--potentially until the harm is done."

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/202758/why_android_app_security_is_better_than_for_the_iphone.html

Just another anecdote from me as an Android user. Presently have about 425 apps on my Android phone. Have had a few Android phones for a few years never had any excess Billing with calls or texts resulting from my Android phones. Anecdotes mentioned about knowing so called people who got billed just remain anecdotes. More anecdotes don't make reliable data To base ones conclusions on. Have a couple of Android phones and even give mine to my three year old child and never had issues.
Have tried hundreds of Android apps at various times never had issues.

For those with concerns, try onavo data moniter which gives you data break up for each app. There are apps available to detect air push adds etc, try air push adds detector or add ons detector by denper, or some apps are available that list permissions and also apps that show other apps with good ratings only like apps fire etc. d did try apps like Norton, and other so called security apps but uninstalled look out many years ago. Uninstalled the free security app that I got from Samsung too from a big name security company. Don't think I need it for now on this Linux based device. Been doing ok. If you side load apps then do so only from sensible websites and you should be ok. Anyone dumb enough to be taken in by scare stories about Android deserves the phone OS they seem to be droning about. If something better turns up in the future for my interests than Android then will buy if it suits me but for the lasfee years Android seemed fine for my needs. Regularly surf more than 10 GB a month and i do use my phones a lot. Have not had issues till date on any of my phones.
Although I won't deny some might have had problems. But that applies to any OS.

thegoodman

bubblesmoney wrote: »

Android tells you the app permissions. With iOS you don't know the permissions.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/202758/why_android_app_security_is_better_than_for_the_iphone.html

Only link you can find is two years old. This says somthing about the iOS.
The ios do not need to inform the permissions because apps cannot make calls or send text messages. The Apple cheks the apps to make sure no app is doing this. With Android even the wether app want to make calls and send messages to make more money from its users.

bubblesmoney

thegoodman wrote: »

Only link you can find is two years old. This says somthing about the iOS.
The ios do not need to inform the permissions because apps cannot make calls or send text messages. The Apple cheks the apps to make sure no app is doing this. With Android even the wether app want to make calls and send messages to make more money from its users.

The accuweather app referred to has been downloaded more than ten million times. Are you trying to say that this app does dodgy things which teen million people seem to be satisfied with including me.

The app allows sharing of the apps features with others hence the permissions. Now stop taking those medications for palpitations and calm down.

The link I gave was just to explain the myths about permissions which to new comers is sometimes alarming. So it should not make a difference it was old.

Cash-Strapped.T32

thegoodman wrote: »

The ios do not need to inform the permissions because apps cannot make calls or send text messages. The Apple cheks the apps to make sure no app is doing this.

Then with respect; What's the point of having an iphone instead of just a phone?
Why not just go home & use your computer or use an old PocketPC, if you don't want any apps to make use of the phone's hardware?

I want to be able to write a call-recorder app that tpas into the call audio, or one that records messages by answering the phone, & recording the input.

Or one that can make automated calls in the background if that's something I require.

I want to be able to write an app that communicates via SMS to other handsets which reads this set of instructions and then does some action, and yes, I might not always want these "instruction-texts" to be visible to the user, otherwise it'd clog up the inbox.

Do you mean to say that apps like this are simply not possible under the iOS/iTunes environment? That would be a real shame in a way but not surprising.

thegoodman

Cash-Strapped.T32 wrote: »

Do you mean to say that apps like this are simply not possible under the iOS/iTunes environment? That would be a real shame in a way but not surprising.

You can do most things with Windows Phone and iOS, most Android apps are copy of iphone apps anyway.
However apps are not allow to send text messages and make calls, easy way to get malware.
To record the call, the app do not need to make the call or send text out. The user can do this.
Why would even the weather app and most games need access to send text out and make call when same access is not required for Android tablet, Widnows Phone and ios. Only reason I can think of is to keep the option open for malware.

bubblesmoney

thegoodman wrote: »

You can do most things with Windows Phone and iOS, most Android apps are copy of iphone apps anyway.
However apps are not allow to send text messages and make calls, easy way to get malware.
To record the call, the app do not need to make the call or send text out. The user can do this.
Why would even the weather app and most games need access to send text out and make call when same access is not required for Android tablet, Widnows Phone and ios. Only reason I can think of is to keep the option open for malware.

i guess you dont read or dont have an attention span to absorb what is written already in this thread. I did mention that the app you refer to has social sharing features. Obviously to share one needs those permissions you are talking about! If you dont want those permissions then dont download the app. The app makers are openly disclosing the apps permisssions in the description of the permissions. If you dont want those permissions then you can instal other similar apps (gazzillions available on the android market and elsewhere) without those permissions but also without the social sharing features. You choose what you want. But there is a way to protect yourself even if you want the same app you refer to but want to disable those extra permissions. See link for more details and stop panicking! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvOhAA91xj0&feature=plcp See android is very flexible. If you dont want this method shown in the video then there are other methods like ad-blockers etc or custom roms etc etc. But you dont even need to bother with all this faffing around as there will be many similar apps without permissions that may alarm you. So choose those instead but they will have more limited features.

ps: again mentioning that atleast android tells you the apps permissions, which iOS does not disclose at all. So do you actually know which app has access to what bit of your data on iOS. Point to think about.

pps: dont forget to watch the 6 videos mentioned on this link! http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=53616979&postcount=56

DUTR

After a read of this thread, it should be clear that there is little to no fear from using google play apps.