Warning! These 30 top Android camera apps may be secretly spying on you
This should be said from the get-go: Don’t install apps from various developers just because they appear to be fun and have millions of downloads on the Google Play Store. The newest warning comes via CyberNews and they have exposed some popular camera apps that could be stealing your personal data and infecting them with malware.
The researchers over at CyberNews have pinpointed “beauty cameras’ which add creative filters to give your images fun-looking appearances before being posted or shared on social media. And while those who use the app expect a “a makeup or a cartoon filter,” CyberNews has issued a warning which states, “you’re not expecting these apps to scrape and sell your data, plague you with nonstop, malicious ads, redirect you to phishing websites, or even spy on you.”
Unfortunately, this is precisely what happens and the researchers investigated top “beauty camera” searches from the Google Play Store and didn’t need to go too deep to discover their findings. CyberNews states that popular filter app BeautyPlus, which has over 300 million downloads has been identified as malware or spyware. This app is said to be collecting data on servers which are stored in China where it is being sold.
Apart from issuing fraudulent ads, these apps can also target users with messages that contain phishing links that direct you to malicious URLs that can install malware, arrange and install more malware, track your device and go so far as to access elements of your device such as spyware.
Here is a list of 30 apps that could be secretly spying on you.
- BeautyPlus – Easy Photo Editor & Selfie Camera
- BeautyCam
- Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera
- Selfie Camera – Beauty Camera & Photo Editor
- Beauty Camera Plus – Sweet Camera & Makeup Photo
- Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera & Photo Editor
- YouCam Perfect – Best Selfie Camera & Photo Editor
- Sweet Snap – Beauty Selfie Camera & Face Filter
- Sweet Selfie Snap – Sweet Camera & Beauty Cam Snap
- Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera with Photo Editor
- Beauty Camera – Best Selfie Camera & Photo Editor
- B612 – Beauty & Filter Camera
- Face Makeup Camera & Beauty Photo Makeup Editor
- Sweet Selfie – Selfie Camera & Makeup Photo Editor
- Selfie camera – Beauty Camera & Makeup camera
- YouCam Perfect – Best Photo Editor & Selfie Camera
- Beauty Camera Makeup Face Selfie, Photo Editor
- Selfie Camera – Beauty Camera
- Z Beauty Camera
- HD Camera Selfie Beauty Camera
- Candy Camera – selfie, beauty camera & photo editor
- Makeup Camera-Selfie Beauty Filter Photo Editor
- Beauty Selfie Plus – Sweet Camera Wonder HD Camera
- Selfie Camera – Beauty Camera & AR Stickers
- Pretty Makeup, Beauty Photo Editor & Selfie Camera
- Beauty Camera
- Bestie – Camera360 Beauty Cam
- Photo Editor – Beauty Camera
- Beauty Makeup, Selfie Camera Effects & Photo Editor
- Selfie cam – Bestie Makeup Beauty Camera & Filters
It’s needless to say, but if you have any of these apps downloaded, you should delete it immediately.