About 20 percent of the 48,000 apps in the Android marketplace allow a third-party application access to sensitive or private information, according to a report released on Tuesday.
UPDATE: CNET has retracted its article on Android app privacy threat. The credibility of SMobile Systems has been questioned.
Security firm SMobile Systems, in its Android market threat report, said some of the apps were found to have the ability to do things like make calls and send text messages without the mobile user doing anything. For instance, 5 percent of the apps can place calls to any number and 2 percent can allow an app to send unknown SMS messages to premium numbers that incur expensive charges.
“Just because it’s coming from a known location like the Android market or the Apple App store doesn’t mean you can assume that the app isn’t malicious or that there is a proper vetting process,” said Dan Hoffman, chief technology officer at SMobile Systems.
C/Net has a FAQ on how to use smartphones safely.
