You might want to think twice before downloading a beauty camera app on your Android smartphone, as new research from Lithuanian security research group CyberNews has revealed that many of these apps are much more dangerous than they ever seem. To carry out their research, the group analyzed the first 30 results displayed on the Google Play Store after searching for the keyword "Beauty Camera" to determine the number of authorizations requested, the location of the developers & # 39; 39; applications and transparency of this location. such as any history of malware, spyware vulnerabilities, or unethical practices. Upon further investigation, CyberNews found that many of these apps were deleting and selling user data, serving malicious ads to users, redirecting users to phishing sites, and even spying on users directly.
Beauty apps
CyberNews has discovered that the number one beauty camera app, BeautyPlus - Easy Photo Editor & Selfie Camera, has been flagged as malware or spyware despite its 300 million installs. The app's developer, Meitu, is also believed to have collected user data from its Chinese servers and then sold it. However, this app is not the only offender as the app developer iJoySoft has been found to use malicious adware in their apps. Furthermore, the developer behind the Beauty Makeup app, Selife Camera Effects, Photo Editor, Lyrebird Studio, has been identified by Trend Micro for sending adult content to users, redirecting them to phishing sites and harvesting their photos. Another app called Beauty Camera from the Phila AppStore has even been found to use a smartphone's camera without asking for the necessary permissions, which is against the Play Store rules. This app alone has already been installed half a million times. To avoid theft of your data or the use of your device's camera without your permission, users are advised to avoid downloading any of these non-essential beauty camera apps. .