DEE'S COMPUTER

Downloading a fun game like Fruit Ninja or Angry Birds may seem harmless but did you know these apps can spy on you? Many applications have data-collection tools that draw out personal information like your addresses, purchasing history, photos and even your banking information. Your information can then be given out to advertisers waiting to fill your inbox with annoying ads. Using these suspicious apps on a regular basis can permanently damage your gadget as well as your bank account. Banking information can be stolen outright or an ad-on feature can get this information and send text messages to certain numbers that charge per message

With a seemingly unlimited number of apps out there that promise entertaining games, challenging puzzles or handy tools, it's hard to figure out what apps keep your confidential information safe. So, how do we protect ourselves from these dangerous apps? We visit my Cool Site for today, of course! This awesome site shows you an A+ to D rating on how any given app protects its users' private information.

With a seemingly unlimited number of apps out there that promise entertaining games, challenging puzzles or handy tools, it's hard to figure out what apps keep your confidential information safe. So, how do we protect ourselves from these dangerous apps? We visit my Cool Site for today, of course! This awesome site shows you an A+ to D rating on how any given app protects its users' private information.

PrivacyGuide utilizes their cutting-edge Privacy Model, which inspects an app and compares it to users' expectations of how the app is supposed to work. Say you download Fruit Ninja but are taken aback when it asks for permission to use location data. You wouldn't think that a simple game needs to know where you are at all times, so this feature negatively affects the privacy grade of Fruit Ninja. But when Google Maps asks to use your location data, it is understood that location information will directly benefit the user when the app is active. So that would result in a positive PrivacyGuide rating. App functions that seem to make sense for the overall purpose of the app are rewarded with a higher grade.

PrivacyGuide also asks users their preferences and concerns when it comes to the information requested by different apps. This crowdsourcing tool is the best way to find out exactly what is the biggest concern among users, so you know what app to ignore and what app to download! With over a million apps reviewed and graded, PrivacyGuide is vital to making sure you stay safe while using your smartphones and tablets.

More than a hundred Android apps have a serious encryption issue - or rather a LACK of encryption issue. Your login info isn't safe with these apps, and some of them are very popular apps, like the Pizza Hut app and an NBA app.

If that sounds scary, you'll be sad to learn that most app developers haven't taken steps to right this wrong. There is an error with the connection between the app's server and you, leaving your passwords and login credentials virtually open to anyone who wants to take a peak.

This so-called, "Game-Over" defect is prominent with major Android applications such as Safeway and Match.com, which means that millions and millions of Android smartphone and tablet users are left vulnerable to a destructive cyberattack. This security flaw was discovered by AppBugs, an application that alerts users to malicious external apps downloaded on your gadgets.

Note: The list of affected apps is constantly changing as some publishers fix their apps while other vulnerable apps are discovered. Follow along and I'll show you how to check your apps for safety.

The AppBugs team brought the flaw to the attention of many Android app developers but little has been done about it. This means that Android users are temporarily on their own when figuring out what apps are safe to download, at least until this Game-Over defect is out of the picture.

AppBugs CEO Rui Wang told Ars Technica, "When the victim user logs into his ... account in the app, a third party machine will be able to grab the password and username. The attacker could be some stranger who monitors the traffic of a public WiFi or a compromised router on the Internet which logs the traffic quietly."

This means that as you're entering your login information, someone could be stealing it instantaneously. This flaw makes hacking into your application and stealing your information as easy as taking candy from a baby. Out of the 100 apps Wang flagged as malicious, he says only 28 have been remedied. This defect has the potential to harm millions of users. You can triple check your apps with this great site I told you about recently. If you suspect that you've downloaded an app like this, let myself and other Komando fans know by sharing your story in the comments section below.