Abusing iOS Permissions: A Security Perspective

Smartphone users have become accustomed to installing Apps of different categories such as gaming, business, educational, lifestyle, and many more Apps. However, even with the growing awareness of developing more secure Apps, there is no evidence that the available Apps users are completely safe. This paper explores the correlation between iOS permissions that can be abused and the safety of user information. More specifically, we study the permissions of the most popular iOS educational Apps. The study findings revealed that there is a positive correlation between abusing iOS permissions and the safety of user information. About 98 % of the Apps have abused permissions and consequently, they are classified as suspicious. In addition, the results of the study showed that the users used to download Apps and grant them inordinate permissions. Thus, placing their personal data at risk of exposure to unscrupulous third parties.