How to Check If An App Is Safe? [2024]

Numerous factors are considered to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of the company's database and strategies. Due to the extensive use of mobile applications and unnecessary permissions granted to these apps, the company's reputation is at stake.

Businesses need to verify app safety because safe apps help ensure data security, compliance, reputational management, business continuity, and financial stability. Let's discuss different strategies to protect official devices against malicious apps and learn how to check if an app is safe or not.

1 How to Check If an App is Safe?

Before Installing:

Method 1. Verify Google Play Certification

Download apps from well-known App Stores like Google Play Store and Apple Store to ensure app safety. The primary reason is that the app performs various checks before uploading to such stores.

For example, Google assigns Google Play certificates to deserving apps that fulfill all of Google's security and performance requirements. It means such apps are highly secure with advanced techniques to ensure data security.

Google respects user privacy and never compromises its credibility. So, it verifies each app before uploading it to download. Verification includes security scans and checks to identify vulnerabilities and weak codes. It also includes continuous monitoring of apps using the Google Play protection feature. It ensures the app's compatibility with Android devices and monitors performance to avoid issues and provide seamless support for various Android versions.

You can open the Google Play Store and the app you want to verify. Check for the Google Play Protect badge to ensure app certification.

Method 2. Download from the Official App Store

It is highly appropriate to download apps only from official App Stores. Downloading apps from unknown sources might be easy, while known apps involve some additional steps but can be risky for both personal and professional use. As mentioned, the official Apps Store allows apps to be displayed when the Store's security teams verify them to ensure privacy and protection.

Another advantage of using official App Stores like Google Play Store is that they continuously monitor app performance. If it violates any policy in the future, Google will remove it from the Store.

Method 3. Review App's Information

You can also check the app's credibility and safety level by carefully understanding its details. The app description is a short introduction to what an app is and what function it can perform. By checking the app's downloaded number, you can realize its popularity level and credibility because only a secure app can have many downloads.

Visit the official Play Store or any authentic app that contains reviews from professionals with highly personalized settings and limitations that allow only real reviews, like taking reviews from business emails, which is an accurate way. Check the pros and cons of the app mentioned in the review and find out reviews about its latest updates for more clarity. Finding only five stars or all positive ratings with short descriptions is considered fake reviews.

Method 4. Check Permissions

We are always in a hurry and ignore reading permissions the app developer asks and unintentionally provide them access to sensitive data. Pressing the ''Allow'' button without reading the permissions leads to severe issues and loss, especially for businesses involving customers' financial and personal information.

You can check if the app is safe by analyzing the permissions it is asking. Asking for unnecessary permissions that seem suspicious confirms that the app is unsafe and is intended to access your device data for misuse.

For example, a flashlight app asks permission to access device contacts and media files. You need to be vigilant here and remove such apps instantly because they are hackers who want to exploit your privacy.

Method 5. Run Pre-installation Scan

Pre-installation scans involve methods to verify if the app contains malicious content. Various security checking software allows you to scan the software and detect vulnerabilities or malicious files in the app.

You can use anti-virus software to check if the apps contain viruses and remove them before installing them on corporate devices. Specialized app testing tools are available for businesses to ensure the high-level safety of apps for official use. It will help you prevent the installation of malicious apps that can breach your confidential information and add a layer of security other than the official app store's security features.

Method 6. Read Privacy Policy

Ignoring the policy and procedure process is the silliest practice every third person practices while downloading apps. Businesses should carefully read each policy line before installing the app because it might contain some important points you want to avoid encountering in the future and can lead to a loss for your organization. It will also help you understand the working and ways how it uses and protects your privacy.

Some apps share data with third-party apps, and they mention it in their policy. If you don't want them to share your data, you can deny their policy and find an alternative app for your business. Read the policy from the app page on Play Store vigilantly, and after understanding each point, you can continue installing the app.

Method 7. Check Version History

You need to check the app update history to know how much app developers are conscious about users. It will show how frequently the developers update the app to add new features and security measures for the latest bugs. You can open the Play Store and the app and then move to its version history section to check the details each time it is updated. You need to thoroughly read the release notes for a better understanding of the changes made in the app.

If the app is not actively maintained, it means that the developer is not focusing on the necessary app maintenance; otherwise, it will leave users vulnerable.

After Installing:

Some factors can help you ensure safe app usage continuously for the longer term. Let's discuss some details for how to know if an app is safe after installation:

Method 1. Using Antivirus or Security Software to Check

Install an anti-virus and other threat-detecting software on your device. Regularly open the anti-virus software and scan your device. It will adequately analyze and identify malicious apps on your device. Periodically checking for security threats is compulsory because an app might be secure while installing, but with new updates, it has some malicious files that harm your device's security.

So, scanning the device on multiple security solutions helps you analyze its security and performance to reduce downtime and data leakage. This software detects the vulnerabilities and prevents them from damaging your business reputation.

Method 2. Monitor App Behavior

After installing the app, carefully analyze app behavior by checking some signs of suspicious activities. It will help you identify that the app contains some malicious content that is continuously affecting the performance. A well-designed app lets you perform operations smoothly without any disturbance.

Some suspicious signs include excessive battery drainage, slowing down of the device, or higher data consumption than usual. If your device is consuming extensive mobile data or the battery drains off earlier, it indicates that some unusual activities are happening due to the app installation. You can either remove the app or scan it to diagnose the issue and prevent it.

You can also review app permissions and check unusual network activities to ensure the app is safe. Updating the device software and apps regularly when updates are available is also crucial to ensure data security. If you are receiving notifications on the device when you are not using an app, it means there is some security issue that needs to be optimized to avoid data breaches and other threats.

2 The Risks of Mobile Malware

Mobile malware like Trojans, ransomware, spyware, adware, and worms pose a significant risk, potentially compromising the confidentiality of businesses. Some critical threats due to mobile malware are:

Data theft

Mobile malware primarily targets applications as a medium to exploit vulnerabilities in the system and extract sensitive data stored on corporate devices. Using keylogging, screen capturing, and accessing application databases, hackers can publicly breach privacy and leak data like financial details and login credentials to damage the company's reputation. They can also exploit the data for identity theft or fraudulent transactions.

Financial Loss

Financial loss is one of the primary risks associated with mobile malware. It is mainly conducted using ransomware, Trojans, and malicious applications. Ransomware helps attackers encrypt the data, and then they ask for money to decrypt it. Banking Trojans is a malicious activity that enables hackers to steal login credentials and perform transactions to withdraw cash from others' accounts.

Various fake applications are developed that grab users to pay them cash for different services, leading to financial loss.

Identity theft

Some mobile malware is specifically utilized to target social and personal apps to perform identity theft. They steal users' personal or official information like company addresses, emails, and registration numbers to create fake accounts or conduct other fraudulent activities.

Disrupting app performance

Some malware attacks the apps operating on the devices. They lead to the crashing of apps, making them unusable and badly affecting user experience. App users cannot perform their operations, so work is compromised.

Device controls

Hackers access and control the devices by targeting a specific application. They can then misuse the device for any reason by manipulating device settings, performing transactions, or copying or deleting sensitive data.

3 Protecting Your Devices against Harmful Apps

Configure App Whitelist/Blocklist

Make a whitelist for trustworthy and necessary apps; in this way, only the allowed applications can be on your device. Simultaneously, create a blacklist containing unnecessary or suspicious apps that will prevent their installation and reduce potential harm.

Manage App Updates

Update your device and apps to the latest versions. Routine updates usually consist of patches, bug corrections, and improvements in device security to improve general security, offering a lesser number of possible vulnerabilities.

Use anti-virus and security tools

By installing reliable antivirus and security software on your device, businesses can get real-time protection from malware, phishing attempts, and other security threats, enhancing security.

Sandboxing

You can also activate app sandboxing on your device. It will help you restrict apps from accessing data or functionalities beyond their intended scope, thus limiting the potential for malicious actions.

Check App reviews and permissions

Read user reviews and ratings before downloading an app. It is a suitable app safety check to ensure safe app usage. Also, consider reading positive and negative feedback to determine the app's reliability.

Use app testing tools

Use app testing tools to test applications for their security and performance before installing them. These tools can highlight potential flaws and enable you to make optimized decisions on the security level of an app.

Enable Google Play Protect for Android apps

Android users should activate Google Play Protect, a built-in security feature. It constantly scans apps on the Google Play Store, offering extra safeguards against harmful applications and vulnerabilities.

4 FAQs

Are fake apps safe?

No, fake apps are not safe. They are purposely developed to exploit user privacy and gain unauthorized access to device data. They can misuse the data to perform banking transactions, demand money, or publically expose it to damage their reputation.

Can apps steal your info?

Yes, apps can steal your information. That is why admins are advised to read the app privacy policy and manage permissions vigilantly to avoid future misconduct. Some apps share data with other applications, leading to breaches of privacy of companies, which might include contact details of customers and employees of a company or their financial details.

How do I find unsafe apps?

You can perform testing of apps using advanced testing tools and anti-virus software. Check app performance and permission access it asks; you can quickly identify suspicious activities like destructive device performance and battery drainage. These factors will indicate that the app is unsafe to use.

How do you know if an app is tracking you?

If you monitor some unusual activities on the device affecting device performance, there are chances that an app is tracking you. Your device processing speed might slow down, and battery consumption may increase, leading to battery draining. Device tracking is also identified if your device data is continuously being used, even if you are not doing any online activity.

5 Conclusive Note

App safety is a prior concern of every small and large enterprise as their growth and privacy depend directly on it. Companies never want to compromise on application security so they find how to check if an app is safe. You can check Android app safety by confirming that apps contain the Google Play Protect badge, which verifies that it ultimately falls on Google security standards. Download them from official app stores and check their reviews before installing them. Analyze the permissions app asks if they are requesting access to relevant data; it means they are appropriate. Scan the apps using anti-virus and other testing tools and check the update history.