Trojan Apps
Whereas Facebook drains your battery and can track your online activity (which is creepy, for sure), there are Trojan apps out there that can really disrupt your phone and digital footprint if your simply download them.
“Beware of the malicious Trojan apps, and experts warn iPhone users to delete them now,” says Tech Expert Harriet Chan, co-founder of CocoFinder. “There are nearly 17 trojan apps found containing infectious malware hidden evading from the expert’s view.”
The malware is inactive, Chan says, and it could not be identifiable. “The infection triggers using an active SIM and when you allow the iPhone to run for a couple of days,” Chan says.
So, which apps are Trojans in disguise, you might be wondering? “The apps like Smart GPS Speedometer, Daily Fitness, CrickOne, Around Me Place Finder are included in this list,” Chan says.
These malicious apps are so bad for your device because they take complete control of your phone and send out the location details, contacts, etc., Chan says. “This malware creates adverse effects on the gadget’s performance, drains out the battery quickly, and uses the bandwidth heavily,” Chan says. “It is applaudable if you make the right move in deleting these programs from your iPhone immediately.”
Another thing to keep in mind if you have recently updated your iPhone to iOS version12.4: you should be careful while downloading ANY applications from the iOS store, cautions Colin Barker, the Co-Founder & CEO of FilterSmart.
“The problem with this version is that a bug after it was patched up by iPhone developers became an easy access gateway for hackers,” Barker says. “It has become easier for hackers to clone any random app in the iOS store with third-party access to your information. This application will ask you to either sync your information or as mentioned third-party information access, from here the hackers will collect all your information. However, this is not the most recent software update for iPhones and the higher versions have been released which don’t have such issues with them.”
Bottom line: make sure you have downloaded the latest software upgrade before downloading any new apps.