App Abuses: A Study of Increasing Risk in User's Adoption of Free Third-Party Mobile Apps in India

Technological risks are those that are genuinely new, which emerge from new technologies and processes. Developing risks are those that are not new, but whose manifestation and implications are emerging. Mobile malware is one such risk though it is relatively low, but with the emergence of free app, the diversity in data, technology and collaboration has also increased the threat of malicious apps (malware) and App vulnerabilities in the embedded processes of mobile phones, which leads to a deeper analysis. The Norton Report (2013), a global survey of end-users, showed that 38 percent of mobile users had already experienced mobile cybercrime. Mobile users are storing sensitive files online (52 percent), store work and personal information in the same online storage accounts (24 percent) and sharing logins and passwords with families (21 percent) and friends (18 percent), putting their data and their employers’ data at risk. Yet only 50 percent of these users take even basic security precautions. According to McAfee Labs threat report, June 2014 The Company has discovered a suspicious Android app, Android/BadInst. A, on the Google Play app store that automatically downloads, installs, and launches other apps without user permission, which is usually required when manually installing apps from Google Play. Because this confirmation procedure at installation plays a critical role in securing a mobile platform, allowing apps to skip this process poses a significant risk to device users, including the silent installation of more dangerous malware. Companies must recognize that fraud awareness, prevention and mitigation are everyday issues that need to be a permanent fixture on the organization’s agenda. Apps like WhatsApp must be vigilant in ensuring their compliance with regulatory and legal issues. But lack of user security awareness is the primary contributor to several harmful cyber threats. Consequently, the hardware, operating system and apps all affect the total security state of the device, and this risk increases when a user uses potentially old or insecure devices as to limited knowledge . Most android phones offer to keep user data on cloud. However, like most technology changes, cloud computing presents its share of risks and challenges, which are too often overlooked or not fully understood by people those are frequent to embrace it. As the free apps risk profile and threat landscape in the mobile app is rapidly increasing, People need to change their mindset and approach towards using mobile phone risk to mitigate the emerging risk of android platform. This study takes an in depth look at the risks associated with third party free apps as an example of mobile app risk and suggests credible models so that risk appetites can be aligned with the exposures being faced.