Avast, the renowned company dedicated to computer security, has been analyzing the flashlight apps. And it has found that, on average, these apps request 25 permissions of our devices. Nothing less than NO apps of this type, and all of them have been or are still in the Google Play Store. The risk that these apps mean for the security of our smartphones, according to what they have verified, is really high.
According to the study carried out by Avast, of these 937 applications were found 408 Flashlight apps that ask for 10 or fewer permissions, 267 that request between 11 and 49 and another 262 flashlight applications that request between 50 and 77 permissions from our device. But what kind of permits do they request? This same analysis shows that, beyond asking flash access permission, which is what they need to function properly, they also ask record audio from our microphone or even read the contact book full.
Beware of flashlight apps, most of them can spy on you
Of all the apps reviewed, Avast found that NO apps have access to microphone of the mobile, with which they can record audio. Another 180 apps can see our contacts in full, and even create them, and the vast majority of them request permissions far beyond what they really need. Developers have access to a lot of data about us, but not only them. Also its partners who allow the economic exploitation of these apps with ads.
The flashlight apps that ask for the most permissions
The list provided by Avast, the following, includes the 10 flashlight apps which more permissions they request from users. And it is worrying because in this list there are applications that even exceed the Millón downloads. All of them have been downloaded and installed more than 100.000 times by users around the world, and some exceed both 500.000 downloads and a million, and are still available in the Google Play Store.
- Ultra Color Flashlight
- Super Bright Flashlight
- FlashlightPlus
- Brightest LED Flashlight - Multi LED & SOS Mode
- Fun Flashlight SOS Mode & Multi LED
- Super Flashlight LED & Morse Code
- Flashlight - Brightest Flash Light
- flashlight for samsung
- Flashlight -Brightest LED Light & CallFlash
- Free Flashlight - Brightest LED, Call Screen
This abuse, in the permission request, highlights the risks that continue to occur for users of Android mobile devices. Even the simplest apps have it really easy to collect information from users by requesting permissions that, obviously, they do not need to function normally.