Experts warn Android, iPhone users about data-stealing glitch

Experts are warning Android and iPhone users about a new glitch that may have exposed user’s personal information

Christoph Hebeisen with security firm Lookout was part of the team that discovered the glitch.

“We first noticed that something weird was going on with these apps when we reviewed the network traffic,” Hebeisen said.

As the team looked deeper, it found hackers tracking some users' call logs.

“This is where things became really interesting because we noticed what this code was doing was uploading the logs of phone calls,” Hebeisen said.

Lookout said it notified Google, which didn't know it was going on.
The glitch is now fixed. But Hebeisen said it could happen again, and this time to apple users, too.

To protect yourself, Hebeisen recommends taking a look at the apps you have on your phone now to make sure they’re legitimate.

You can also download a software like Lookout, which will predict and stop mobile attacks. For those users who may have already had information stolen, Hebeisen said, It's too late to do anything, except be careful in the future.

“Being really cautious about what we install on our mobile devices is very important,” Hebeisen said.

Lookout isn't sure when the glitch started, but it may have been lurking on apps for several years.

Google tells us it has taken action on these apps, and appreciates contributions from the research community that help keep Android safe.