Technology

Are Free Apps Like ‘Angry Birds’ Giving Advertisers Access to Your Private Information?

Posted on March 20, 2012 at 9:40am by Liz Klimas
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Report: Free Apps With In App Ad Libraries Could Pose Security Risks

Free apps running ads to generate revenue could pose security problems.

Think free apps for your smartphone are too good to be true? A new report is finding that they may come with a catch that exposes your phone to security issues.

Researchers at North Carolina State University reviewed apps in the Google Play market (formerly called the Android market) and found that ads included in the apps to help generate revenue could be posing security risks to your phone. According to the release about the research, apps sometimes incorporate “in-app ad libraries,” permission for which was granted when the user downloaded the app, that can provide a backdoor for hackers into your phone. The report states that apps provided on Apple and other third-parties could be included in this as well.

Google Play is now the market where Android users can download apps -- until recently it was called Android Market.

According to the research lead by the university’s assistant professor of computer science Xuxian Jiang, some of the 100,000 apps reviewed “made use of an unsafe mechanism to fetch and run code from the Internet.” Information accessible through the ad libraries included GPS coordinates, call logs, user phone numbers and lists of other apps downloaded onto the device.

Jiang has more on the implications of this security issue:

These ad libraries pose security risks because they offer a way for third parties – including hackers – to bypass existing Android security efforts. Specifically, the app itself may be harmless, so it won’t trigger any security concerns. But the app’s ad library may download harmful or invasive code after installation.

“To limit exposure to these risks, we need to isolate ad libraries from apps and make sure they don’t have the same permissions,” Jiang says. “The current model of directly embedding ad libraries in mobile apps does make it convenient for app developers, but also fundamentally introduces privacy and security risks. The best solution would be for Google, Apple and other mobile platform providers to take the lead in providing effective ad-isolation mechanisms.”

PC Mag points out that the free version of the popular smartphone game Angry Birds could be an example. PC Mag explains that the security issue comes in that granting permission cannot be “[distinguished] between actions performed by an ad library and those performed by its hosting app.“ The report says this finding ”necessitates a change in the way existing ad libraries can be integrated into host apps.”

In addition to potentially exposing some of your phone’s private data, the security flaw could also allow for the launch of a “root exploit” attack on the phone, according to Jiang. This attack allows a piece of malware to take control of your phone.

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Comments (12)

Qoheleth
Posted on March 20, 2012 at 7:45pm
Every time I read the weasel-words “could,“ ”might,“ ”possibly,” etc., I think “This isn’t news. It’s speculation.“ What bugs me is that they release this specifically referencing Android and then drop ”Oh yes, it might also be true of iOS and Blackberry.” Yeesh.
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2theADDLED
Posted on March 20, 2012 at 12:57pm
If you ever read a EULA you would never click yes.
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western_red
Posted on March 20, 2012 at 12:32pm
Meanwhile back at the ranch… The Egyptians & Syrians must LOVE free apps? Course the USA police can search your phone now too. But wait, with a free app, they can do that a lot easier!
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cessna152
Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:02am
Give my information to advertisers, I really don’t care…However, don’t give it to the government!
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Itsjusttim
Posted on March 20, 2012 at 9:55am
Well people always have to remember: men do not give other men anything for free. People don’t even donate to charity without expecting something in return whether it be a tax write-off or even grace in God’s eyes they always want something.
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- Stoic one
  Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:00am
  Your statement about charity is false. People OFTEN give without any expectation; including the praise of God.
  Report Post »
- Itsjusttim
  Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:02am
  Meanwhile God just wants to be loved, because if people loved God then they would understand his word is good, and that the rules of the house are unchangeable because Heaven is a house of lord’s and is a Republic with many involved. And the “Word” shows people how to navigate.
  Report Post »
- Itsjusttim
  Posted on March 20, 2012 at 10:03am
  No they don’t, they always want the praise of God, or even their peers.
  Report Post »
- Airgun
  Posted on March 20, 2012 at 11:01am
  Spoken like a true progressive, overlaying your own prejudices and biases on everyone and making grand sweeping statements which expose your own lack of understanding of scripture.
  Ignorance can be excused- WILLFUL ignorance is the work of Satan.
  Your impression appears to be that the Crucifixion invalidates everything which precedes it, which makes the Old Testament null and void.
  What you do not realize is that the sacrifice made by Jesus did not ABSOLVE mankind of his sins and make the 10 Commandments irrelevant ( Jesus was an observant Jew and preached adherence to scripture) rather it saved us from automatic condemnation and damnation by giving us a choice.
  Accept the truth of the Word and honor the gift of His blood (live a Godly life) and you will be saved.
  It’s that simple.
  When you make comments like those you’ve posted on this site repeatedly, you aren’t helping anyone; you are in fact illuminating your own resentments and denouncing that which you have no understanding of.
  I don’t know you, but you are my brother (or sister) and if you’re sincere and not a troll, then try to open your mind to the possibility that you still have a lot to learn.
  Report Post »
- TMiller34
  Posted on March 20, 2012 at 1:14pm
  That’s an absolutely untrue statement. My wife and I give to charity and we tithe regularly at our church. All of it is done anonymously because I don’t do it for personal glory, tax write-offs or to have people see what I did. I did it because I want to help people, give God the glory he deserves and that is between myself, my wife and God. My name never goes on any charitable donation I make,
  Report Post »
- Brooke Lorren
  Posted on March 20, 2012 at 3:20pm
  The Bible says not to tell anybody what you give to charity. When I give to groups of people that I don’t know, I really don’t care if my name is on the donation, because they don’t know me, but when I give to my church, I don’t put my name on the envelope either. I write something else.
  
  Should I ever have to make a large donation (like if I find a lottery ticket or if an investment pays off spectacularly), I might end up sending it anonymously through a lawyer.
  Report Post »
- Dunchaka
  Posted on March 21, 2012 at 11:16am
  Ever heard of altruism?
  Report Post »

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