Black Friday warning: 5 percent of shopping apps have malicious software

<p>Cybersecurity experts are warning shoppers to be aware of what types of shopping apps they use to get those Black Friday deals.</p>

News 12 Staff

Nov 22, 2018, 3:10 AM

Updated 2,214 days ago

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Cybersecurity experts are warning shoppers to be aware of what types of shopping apps they use to get those Black Friday deals.
There are thousands of smartphone apps, websites and pop-up ads trying to entice consumers as they shop. But experts say that clicking on the wrong app or website may be bait by a scammer who wants to steal credit card or other personal information.
“There are over 10,000 shopping apps that are actively out there,” says cybersecurity expert Scott Schober. "Out of them, about 5 percent of those have malicious software. So there’s basically code in there that when you tap on it, when you download it to your phone, it’s going to be collecting your personal information.”
Consumers can fight back by getting software to encrypt keystrokes so that it jumbles the data if hackers try to steal it. Consumers should also only visit websites for retailers that they know are legitimate.