By Zainab Shafiq 
The prevalence of cybercrime is rapidly increasing, affecting various fields and sectors. Recent research reveals that numerous popular Android applications are sending user data to China, including contact lists and connected account information.
Approximately 1.5 million Android users are currently at risk due to two apps available on the Google Play Store. These two apps have been found to transmit sensitive personal data to China. Concerningly, it has been reported that these apps contain spyware, prompting the cybersecurity firm involved to alert Google about the discovery.
Pradeo, a reputable cybersecurity company, has recently uncovered two highly popular file management apps on the Android platform. These apps, which have amassed over a million downloads, are secretly stealing user information and transmitting it to unknown sources located in China.
Furthermore, the researchers discovered that these apps hide their home screen icons, making them difficult to find and remove from users’ devices. Pradeo has warned that the apps can access contact lists from connected email accounts, social networks, and stored on the device itself. In addition, users’ photos, audio files, videos, location data, mobile country code, and network provider information are all vulnerable to compromise.
The two primary file management apps in question are File Recovery and Data Recovery, both developed by the same entity. The former app has been downloaded by approximately one million users, while the latter has around 500,000 downloads. Shockingly, the cybersecurity firm estimates that over a million users have been affected by these apps containing spyware.
Although these apps are marketed as tools for managing and recovering data, their true intentions involve unauthorized data extraction. Users are strongly advised to uninstall these apps if they are currently installed on their devices.
It is disheartening to see that malicious actors and developers have discovered methods to bypass security systems and exploit users’ data. Consequently, it is crucial to download apps only from reliable sources and exercise caution when granting permissions to applications. Safeguarding personal information should always be a priority, and unnecessary app downloads should be avoided.
To maintain data security, it is advisable to read reviews before downloading any app and regularly delete unnecessary applications from your device.