You want the latest apps to get the most out of your tablet or smartphone.
And today’s apps are truly incredible, allowing you to download documents, view reports and watch TV or movies right on your mobile device.
But be careful when shopping in the App Store or on Google Play. You might not be buying the app you think you’re getting.
Counterfeits
PCWorld recently took a look at the growing number of counterfeit apps cluttering the App Store and Google Play marketplace. PCWorld pointed to a study by software firm Arxan to back this up. According to the study, 100 percent of the top paid apps on Android and 56 percent on iOS were being impersonated in a counterfeit form.
Free Apps
The news was bad when it came to free apps, too. Arxan found that 73 percent of Android apps in the top-15 ranked free apps had a counterfeit version on third-party stores. This figure stood at 53 percent for the top-15 ranked free apps for iOS, according to the story. And this is a trend that isn’t reversing. According to the PCWorld story, Arxan found much the same situation when the explored counterfeit apps last year.
A Real Danger
This is dangerous, of course, for smartphone and tablet users. It’s especially dangerous for companies that employ a bring-your-own-device policy. After all, these counterfeit apps often come with built-in viruses. Employees who bring them into the office can quickly spread viruses throughout the workplace. The PCWorld story highlights just how important it is for companies to spend time educating their workers about how to recognize counterfeit apps.
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Read additional Acumor articles in their March Newsletter .
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