“Overly aggressive ad networks — which can change users’ phone settings, send notifications and/or covertly access personally identifiable information — are present in 5 percent of free apps, according to new research by mobile security company Lookout,” reports AllThingsD.
Lookout also estimates users have downloaded applications including this technology “at least 80 million times, mostly on Android devices,” notes the article.
The security firm explains most developers use the software not because they have malicious intent, but because “they haven’t thought about the implications.”
The article features a chart that offers a breakdown of apps with aggressive ad networks based on specific categories. In order of popularity, the top four categories are: personalization, entertainment, games, and music and video.
Lookout found that “the alleged ‘bad actor’ ad networks — which include LeadBolt, Moolah Media, Appenda and IZP — are most common in personalization apps, to change phone wallpaper or make puzzles,” notes AllThingsD.
“Overly aggressive ad networks — which can change users’ phone settings, send notifications and/or covertly access personally identifiable information — are present in 5 percent of free apps, according to new research by mobile security company Lookout,” reports AllThingsD.
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