ANDROID and iPhone owners worldwide are urged to delete certain applications from their mobile phones.
Cyber experts say you could be putting yourself at unnecessary risk – but the fix is so simple.
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Security giant McAfee’s advice is to delete any old apps on your iPhone or Android that you’ve stopped using.
It’s worth taking the time to look through your phone and weigh what you no longer need.
“Take a few moments to swipe across the screen to see which ones you’re really done with and delete them along with their data,” said McAfee’s Amy Bunn.
“Some apps have linked accounts that can also store data from your phone.
“Take the extra step and delete those accounts to erase all data off the phone.”
It might seem strange that an old app can cause you problems.
But security experts say these forgotten apps can be surprisingly dangerous.
This is because even though they are not in use, they still exist on your phone and can potentially access sensitive parts of your device.
For example, an old app may have access to your camera, microphone, location, or photos.
This level of access could be exploited by cybercriminals.
“Every additional app is another app that needs to be updated or that may have a security issue associated with it,” Bunn said.
“In a time of data breaches and vulnerabilities, deleting old apps is a smart move.”
STAY SAFE
It’s also important to remember to update any apps you use.
That way security holes can be fixed and you can be protected.
McAfee recommends turning on automatic updating for your applications so you don’t have to download software patches manually.
“Updates don’t just introduce new features applications, but they also often address security issues,” Bunn advised.
You should also avoid downloading apps from third-party sources.
It’s much easier to get apps outside of the Play Store on an Android phone, but there are ways to avoid the Apple App Store on an iPhone if you’re committed.
However, this increases the risk because the apps you download are not checked in the same way as downloads from official stores.
Even when using the official app store, make sure you are reading descriptions and reviews before you hit download.
Dangerous malware can occasionally make its way to official app stores, so you should always be vigilant when downloading anything to your phone.