The most dangerous applications ever
Mobile apps can be a nightmare for IT. There are millions of them, and most were developed without any concern for security. Some IT organizations have tried to counter potential threats from mobile apps by blacklisting programs they deem risky, but that’s not always effective.
The 20 most-blocked mobile apps
An analysis by Appthority of the blacklists of its enterprise customers is revealing. For example, here are the top 10 Android apps blackballed by enterprises:
Poot-debug(W100).apk
AndroidSystemTheme
Where’s My Droid
Weather
Wild Crocodile
Star War
ggzzversion
Boyfriend Tracker
Chicken Puzzle
Device Alive
In its analysis, Appthority ranks risk on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest risk. Eight of the apps in the Android top 10 had a risk score of 9, primarily because they contained malware. The other two apps—Boyfriend Tracker and Chicken Puzzle—scored a 6 because of data issues or privacy concerns.
On the iOS side of things, these apps were blacklisted the most:
WhatsApp Messenger
Pokémon GO
WinZip Utilities
CamScanner Productivity
Plex
WeChat
Facebook Messenger
eBay Kleinanzeigen
Netease News
Device Alive
The seven riskiest apps scored a 7. Their sins included sending SMS messages or sensitive data without encryption. Three programs—Pokémon GO, Plex, and Device Alive—scored a 6 because they did things such as access address books and cameras without permission and tracked a phone user’s location.