A recent analysis conducted by the IMDEA Networks Institute along with Universidad Carlos II de Madrid, Stony Brooks University and ICSI revealed that pre-installed Android apps from major farms are putting your privacy and security at risk. The analysis covered more than 200 device manufacturers, 1,700 devices, and 82,000 pre-installed apps.
According to the analysis, companies who develop their own Android-based firmware perform poor software practices as a result of which any third party services get easy access to play with your privacy and security. Worse, there is no way you can find that you’re being monitored.
“This situation has become a peril to users’ privacy and even security”, the paper claims, “due to an abuse of privilege, such as in the case of pre-installed malware, or as a result of poor software engineering practices that introduce vulnerabilities and dangerous backdoors.”
Software developers and advertisers are also said to be hand in glove with the smartphone manufacturers to create a back door entry for the third-party to get access to your Android smartphone.
“Users’ activities, personal data, and habits may be constantly monitored by stakeholders that many users may have never heard of, let alone consented to collect their data,” the study finds.
The researchers, however, have a plan to address the issue. According to them, a globally-trusted regulatory body with the power to okay or reject any software or pre-installed apps should be appointed. To put it simply, the vendors will go through a checkpoint which in his case will be the regulatory body.
Via: TechRadar