Hundreds of Android applications available on the Google Play store have a security flaw that lets attackers take control of the devices on which they are installed, allowing them to steal data or install malware, according to US reports.
Researchers at the University of Michigan who have been examining hundreds of Android applications say the vulnerable applications include some that have been downloaded between 10 and 50 million times.
The affected apps make use of open ports typically used by server applications to receive requests from remote clients.
The researchers found 1632 Android apps, or about 6.8 percent of the total, had open-port functionality. About half of these had more than 500,000 downloads.
The apps use open ports for reasons including data sharing, text messaging and Voice over IP calls. But some 410 applications proved vulnerable to attacks via the open ports.
