Key Points
- Meta has alerted media giants Apple and Google to more than 400 apps that have been designed to steal personal data.
- Here are some of the types of apps Meta has detected that you should be wary of, and how to beat them at their game.
Facebook's parent company Meta has alerted media giants Apple and Google to more than 400 apps that have been designed to steal personal data from people's social media accounts.
People are being told be wary of certain photo editing apps, horoscope or fitness tracker apps, among many others.
In a statement released on Friday night, Meta said its research found that hundreds of iOS and Android apps have been made to compromise the Facebook login details of users.
Apple and Google have both removed the malware apps from their respective app stores since Meta reported them.
"We’re encouraging people to be cautious when downloading a new app that asks for social media credentials and providing practical steps to help people stay safe," Meta's David Agranovish and Ryan Victory wrote in a statement.
The announcement from Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has come just a week after .
Meta has warned that once a hacker has someone's Facebook login details, they could gain full access to their account, including messaging their friends and receiving their private information.
What kind of apps should you look out for?
Meta said malware apps usually have "telltale signs" that should raise alarm bells for users.
Here are just some of the apps Meta has detected that you should be wary of:
- Photo editing apps that invite users to "turn themselves into cartoons"
- Virtual Private Networks that are advertised to bolster browsing speed or gain access to blocked websites
- Phone utility services, such as apps to brighten the smartphone's existing flashlight
- Games that promote hi-resolution graphics
- Horoscope or fitness tracker apps
- Business or ad management apps that claim to provide features not yet found in official apps by other tech platforms.
What else can you do?
Meta also advises users to look out for apps that require social media credentials to access the app, to check out the negative reviews of an app before you download it, and assess whether the app has lived up to the features it has promised at the app store.
Have you been affected?
If a user has noticed they have been affected by an app, Meta recommends they delete the app and reset their password. It also recommends never reusing a password across multiple websites.
It also recommends implementing two-factor authentication, as well as turning on notifications that would alert you if someone has accessed your account.
