What are outdated apps or zombie applications?

We usually download applications for our mobile devices from app stores. Many a time, an application gets discontinued from app stores for various reasons. But, users who have already downloaded the application on their mobile devices do not get any notifications about that. And, sometimes, an application already downloaded on a mobile device becomes outdated. And the user does not update the application. These outdated applications are called zombie applications.

These outdated applications, though apparently they look benign, can be exploited by attackers for various malicious purposes. And they become a serious threat to users.

How do applications become outdated?

An application can be discontinued from the app stores for various reasons. These apps may be discontinued because they contain malware or violate any other standard policy. The developer of the application can also discontinue the application for various reasons

The problem is after the application gets discontinued, the users of the application do not usually get any notification about it. Sometimes, the developers may opt for sending a notification on discontinuation of the application. But, in most cases, the developers or the app stores do not. As a result, the users remain unaware of the fact that the downloaded app is discontinued.

Sometimes, the users fail to notice that the application has not been updated for a long time, or the users do not bother to update it for a long time. And the application becomes outdated.

How do outdated applications pose a security threat?

After an application becomes outdated, it can be used by attackers for malicious purposes.

As the users are mostly unaware of the fact that an application has become outdated, they may look for an update for the application. And taking advantage of that, attackers can trick those users into installing malware-laden applications on their mobile devices. And once that happens, the attackers are free to exploit that at their own will.

What are the threats of outdated applications?

Attackers can use an outdated application for various malicious purposes. Some of them are …