Mobile apps that process personal data and access device’s internal files, camera, and microphone present hackers with all kinds of opportunities. 

We would like to focus on 2 issues: connecting to public Wi-Fi risks and malicious code.

Connecting to an open Wi-Fi network implies the risk of an attacker appearing between the server and app – a man-in-the-middle attack. The attacker relays communication between the two, which means that the user could lose personal, financial or account data (depending on the app function), make a wrong transaction, etc. If you need to log in to a banking app or any other program that processes valuable information, do not use public Wi-Fi networks.

Another group of vulnerabilities which hackers can exploit by writing malicious code. A user may face various consequences, including data interception and blackmailing. Data can also be sold on the darknet, or the attacker might take full control over the device and act on behalf of the victim. Performance degradation, lags, and rapid battery depletion are possible flags of the malware presence on your device. Here it is recommended to set up automatic app and OS updates, and allow new apps to access only the resources they need to perform their functions. Android users should employ antivirus software, download apps only from Google Play, transfer files from trusted sources, and never root devices, just like iOS users should stay away from jailbreaking.