On October 1st, Snoopwall.com released a flashlight apps threat assessment report that indicated that the top 10 flashlight apps in the Google Play store for Android devices are actually full of malware. While this is a bigger issue for Android users, flashlight apps in the Apple App store are prone to suspicious activity as well. Apple iOS is more secure and less likely to pose the same level of threat, but it is still advisable to uninstall any third party flashlight apps. And it is important to make sure that your iPhone is updated (see our article about updating to iOS 8 here). There really isn’t a need for a third party flashlight now that iOS actually includes a built in flashlight. Who knew that flashlight app malware would be the criminals weapon of choice?
This is what Snoopwall.com recommends:
All of the applications below appear to obtain access and information way beyond the needs of a Flashlight. Some appear specifically designed to collect and expose your personal information to cybercriminals or other nation states. In addition, you are at significant risk if you are doing Mobile Banking on the same device as one of these free Flashlight Apps.
Our strong recommendation is to uninstall your flashlight app immediately.
