Fake Oximeter Apps Can Steal Your Fingerprint and Other Data, DO NOT Download Them

Fake oximeter apps masquerading as Covid-19 awareness and prevention techniques are reportedly spreading online, and instead of being constructive, these apps may be programmed to attempt to steal your fingerprint data, as well as any other sensitive information on your phone. Late last week, a Twitter profile on cyber hygiene affiliated to the Government of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs posted about this cyber threat, and urged users to not fall for apps promising to monitor oxygen levels on their phones.

Scam apps such as the ones mentioned here may often be vehicles for malware, spyware and other forms of malicious codes and tools that may infect your device. Often, such apps are advertised as downloadable from outside the Google Play Store’s comparatively safer ecosystem, which further increases the risk. Users should remain vigilant about the fact that for an oximeter to function, any device requires a physical SpO2 blood oxygen sensor to be present on it. Simultaneously, even reading the heart rate requires a physical heartbeat sensor, and smartphones available in the market today come with neither.