As viruses and bloatware become an ever-growing issue for Android, you must make sure that your applications are not a risk to you or your smartphone. Google deletes several spamware and malware software from the Play Store sometimes, but what about some of the more common applications that aren’t entirely malware per se yet may nonetheless be big privacy snakes? Here, we tell you about the most risky Android applications to keep away if you respect your privacy.
Google Play is a fantastic way to try new applications, but before installing new apps, it is important to be careful due to the possible security implications. If you are not vigilant, even old and well known applications can prove to be privacy nightmares. Some applications can gather information from your phone and exchange your personal information for money with third-party advertisers. Therefore, we have created a list of the most dangerous Android applications that you can exclude right now from your devices.
UC Browser
Created by UCWeb, Chinese tech giant subsidiary Alibaba, the UC browser is one of the Android web browsers that have been most downloaded. Cyber security experts however say that they do not encrypt their data transfer properly, which can put the personal data at risk of hackers and intelligence services having to intercept it. The browser uses poor encryption, and often no encryption at all, as it communicates keystrokes over the internet, according to experts. It’s a risky, unsecured application that should be removed from your ASAP phone.
CLEANit
CLEANit promises to be a cleaner of spam files with millions of Play Store downloads. The software needs not just a lot of approvals, but also advertises services which are frivolous with powerful hardware in modern Android devices. Some of them will actually harm your phone.
For instance, clearing the cache will only slow down when your phone has to be reconstructed while killing background apps would not affect your battery life in the real world. Unless, of course, these applications play background music or browse for files, you won’t want to disable them anyway.
Note: You can avoid those ‘cleaner’ and ‘optimizer’ apps completely if you are using a relatively new Android phone. They do not help to increase the speed of your phone and also cause problems by adjusting key settings, etc.
Dolphin Browser
Dolphin browser is another wildly successful third-party browser application which promises a lot but does not provide much. It is a flash-supporting browser that is a disaster that can automatically be uninstalled. Dolphin not only saves your surfing sessions incognito mode, it also shows your initial IP address even using a VPN, according to many sources over the years. It also comes with a lot of extra ‘features,’ such as video players and pace boosters.
Virus Cleaner – Antivirus Free & Phone Cleaner
Virus Cleaner – Antivirus Free and Phone Cleaner from Super Cleaner Studio is just what is wrong with the Android eco-system, an application with over 14 million downloads. It comes with a lot of commercials, mostly for providers and products of doubtful reputation. Moreover it pledges to be a “effective protection master, phone junk cleaner, protection for WIFI, a super speed booster, a battery-saving device, CPU cooler and a notification cleaner.” Personally, I would miss every app promising to be a “CPU cooler.”
Note: It is best to miss the category completely, because Google Play Protect is the best anti-virus tool for Android.
SuperVPN Free VPN Client
SuperVPN is one of the most commonly downloaded VPN applications on Android with over 100 million downloads. However, earlier this year, cybersecurity experts reported that the software contains key bugs that could enable hackers to target MitM (Man-in-the-Middle), possibly stealing sensitive information, including information on the credit card, images, and private chats. Criminals could also abuse the faults by hiding a link to malicious websites that may further jeopardise consumer privacy and protection, according to studies.
