Popular Android apps found to be stealing personal data of 1.5 million users

Two popular file management apps have been discovered secretly harvesting personal information without the knowledge or consent of approximately 1.5 million Android users.

The apps in question, File Recovery & Data Recovery and File Manager, are the latest culprits in the ongoing issue of data theft.

These apps discreetly collect and transmit private information to "servers based in China" without disclosing their data collection practices, as revealed by Pradeo, a leading mobile security company. 

Despite the claims made by File Recovery & Data Recovery and File Manager that they do not collect any user data, the report claims that both apps surreptitiously send private information to third parties. The apps have been removed from Google Play Store. 

The stolen data includes contacts, emails, social media contacts, pictures, audio files, video files, user location, mobile country code, network provider name, operating system version numbers, and even details about the device brand and model.

Disturbingly, users are unable to decline or modify the types of information being acquired. The apps operate without requesting any permissions, silently running in the background while the user remains oblivious to the fact that their personal data is being collected and distributed.

Notably, the app does not appear on the device's home screen and operates discreetly.

To remove the app, which is strongly advised, users should access their app screen, locate File Manager in the app settings section, and proceed to delete it. Afterward, it is recommended to restart the phone and confirm that the app has been successfully removed.