Published on September 21st, 2019 📆 | 7317 Views ⚑
0How Can You Tell If an App Is Malware?
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There are a lot of apps you can download on Appleâs App Store and the Google Play Store. Thatâs obvious. Whatâs not so obvious is that even though both companies do a pretty good job of (mostly) catching bullshit apps, there are still plenty that sneak through because they just toe the line between scammy and barely helpful.
Each companyâs app reviewing teams are good, but some app developers know the rules well enough to exploit unsuspecting users as much as they can. And that brings us to this weekâs Tech 911 question, sent in by Lifehacker reader Jess. She writes:
âA few months ago, I gave one of my pre-teen nieces my iPhone 5S when I upgraded. For the most part I donât worry about what kind of apps sheâs downloading because sheâs pretty tame in that area. Which brings me to my question.
She downloaded an app called Cleanly - Safe Cleaner and I am concerned itâs there to steal data as opposed to something beneficial. The app bills itself (literally) as a means to clean up unwanted screenshots and blurry photos automatically while also Hoovering up a bunch of other information. Their privacy policy seems non-existent but itâs really on a different page. Honestly, I feel like Iâve reached the part in my life where I feel like I donât understand technology as well as I should and need a second opinion to help me (and others like me) parse through the app jargon bullshit.
Addendum: the age rating in the App Store says 4+ but the terms and conditions explicitly say none under the age of 18 without express consent of an adult. That adds to my suspicions about this app having nefarious intentions. Kids are less likely to read or notice and therefore give up more info willingly.âÂ
So, hereâs the good news. I canât find âCleanly,â or at least, the app you describe with that name, anywhere on Appleâs App Store. Itâs possible the developer pulled the app or that even Apple itself stepped in and went, âYouâre a scam, go away.â To give you a quick and easy answer, I think itâs safe to uninstall this app from your nieceâs phone. I doubt sheâll miss it.
Generally speaking, your intuition is correct. While I havenât used the app myself, and I donât want to call something a scam without actually having seen it, the general description you provide does raise my eyebrow. I donât think anyone needs an app to root through their photos to clean out screenshotsâespecially since thatâs easy enough to do via the âscreenshotsâ media type in Photos. I would be nervous about assigning over permissions to my photos to an app like that (and whatever else the app wants to be able to do as a condition of its use).
As for the privacy policy, to be frank, I wouldnât use that as an ironclad defense against scammers. An appâs developer can create a privacy policy, and it can make an app look and sound completely secure. Said developer also doesnât have to follow the privacy policyâthey made it, after all, and there arenât any âprivacy policeâ from Apple that are going to make sure a developer is holding up to its end of the bargain as far as your data goes (unless thereâs some big public complaint by a bunch of users).
This is, obviously, less of a concern when a giant, well-known company has a privacy policy, but even then, I wouldnât take what you find in these as gospel.
The App Store age rating really relates to the content within the app, rather than the appâs intended purpose. For example, as part of the app submission process, a developer will have to go through a little questionnaire that looks like this:
Itâs no surprise that the app you mentioned is probably âratedâ for a very low age, since thereâs little that could really be considered offensive within the app itself. And, as mentioned, age limits or other restrictions the appâs privacy policy says have no real teeth on the App Store. The policy can say you must be 65 or older to use the app, and any adult who wants to will still be able to download and use it.
Where does this leave things? Unfortunately, in the hands of the downloader more than anything else. The best course of action you can take, aside from running through your nieceâs phone once a month to check for crappy apps, is to talk to her. Iâd give her a few suggestions to keep in the back of her mind when she goes to download future apps:
- Think about the appâs purpose. Do you really need it on your phone? Is it doing something that you could probably do yourself, like deleting or organizing data?
- Look at the appâs product page. Seeing lots of misspellings? Grammar that doesnât make sense? Something off-putting about the screenshots? Maybe itâs worth ignoring the app.
- Donât take an appâs promises at face value. It never hurts to run a quick web search to see if anyone else has reviewed, talked about, or used an app youâre considering downloading. Odds are good that the odd app you found is more likely to be unwanted than a diamond in the rough.
- Read App Store reviews. Does an app have any? If not, get nervous. Does an app have a decent number of five-star reviews, and only five-star reviews, that are all phrased really strangely? Avoid. Let others help you figure out whether an app is legit or notâor trying to entice you into downloading it with fake reviewsâbefore you download it.
- Consider an appâs permissions. If it wants to access your camera and microphone, but itâs supposed to be helping you clear out your contact list, that should feel like a very strange request that warrants a little extra research.
- Donât download apps that donât come recommended. When in doubt, this is a great way to avoid scammy apps: Donât download things that havenât already been vetted by other, more professional entities: online reviewers, your favorite tech websites, Apple itself, et cetera. Just because your friend thinks some weird app that puts dumb stuff on your face is worth a download doesnât mean that you should run to the App Store and grab it immediately. A little due diligence can save you a lot of future stressâand help keep your data private and secure.
Do you have a tech question keeping you up at night? Tired of troubleshooting your Windows or Mac? Looking for advice on apps, browser extensions, or utilities to accomplish a particular task? Let us know! Tell us in the comments below or email david.murphy@lifehacker.com.
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