Skype for Android app bug lets hackers into personal data
It’s come to the attention of Android engineers that the leaked version of the Skype for Android smartphone app won’t be as helpful or exciting for users to make use of anymore. Android engineers dissected the app and notices that users’ account balances, names, date of birth, location, phone numbers, email addresses and more could be leaked to third party individuals.
The problem originated from Skype’s data directory folder, which stores user information and message logs. The files also include improper permissions that pretty much anyone with the app can access making for some serious privacy issues. Hackers can easily access the information to gather user names and follow the path to Skype’s stored data.
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According to PC Magazine, to test the vulnerability, Android Police wrote a rogue app that could collect user info without special permissions or rooting. “It turns out that it's not just the leaked beta; according to the [Skype] blog, the issue exists in the standard version of Skype Mobile for Android—though not Skype Mobile for Verizon—affecting the 10 million users of the app.”
Skype's short blog post addresses the privacy bug: “These files include cached profile information and instant messages. We take your privacy very seriously and are working quickly to protect you from this vulnerability, including securing the file permissions on the Skype for Android application. To protect your personal information, we advise users to take care in selecting which applications to download and install onto their device.”
