The Sydney Morning Herald ran an interesting article today, which revealed some alarming security threats posed by free iPhone gambling apps. Although the article primarily points the finger at gaming apps developed for the Android platform, iOS users should also be aware of the potential for information leakage when using these apps. Here are a few of the mains points from the article. Free casino apps are the biggest culprits. Apps downloaded from the official Google Play store can cause security breaches Some apps can "initiate outgoing calls" or "send text messages" Free poker and casino games caused the biggest security problems Free-to-play versions of gaming apps were 4 times more likely to access confidential information If the research presented in this article is true, then there is certainly no such thing as a free lunch, particularly when you are using an Android smartphone.
this doesn't surprise me at all. anyone can develop an app for the android operating system, submit it and have it listed in google play within a few minutes. i think google's decision to make their apps market so open is going to come back to haunt them. we are going to see more and more security breaches and stories like this. i
the fact that a free app could initiate an outgoing call from your phone is terrifying. if i download an app that has been approved by google which then allows a criminal to use my phone for some illegal activity, who is liable? or if i install one of these apps and end up with a phone bill for thousands of euros, will google play the bill for me?
Seamus, I think the chances of Google footing the bill for a dodgy app you downloaded from Google Play is almost zero so proceed with caution.
at least with bitcoin gambling apps you will only lose the money in your betting account. regular online gambling apps will not only steal the money in your account but also steal your credit card number and max it out.
Could not agree more with you on this. A friend of mine works in the IT industry and he had to get an app on the apple store. The apple store first asked them to verify that they have thoroughly tested the app and then they tested it themselves from all aspects before listing it on the app store.