Nick FitzGerald from IT security firm ESET has told The Age<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cThe apps use obfuscation, which may have contributed to them slipping into the store undetected.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a big concern for anyone who may have handed over personal information. The loss of personally identifiable information can result in financial fraud that may affect you for the rest of your life very negatively.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Both banks have issued security advice for customers:<\/p>\n CBA SECURITY ADVICE<\/strong><\/p>\n Tips on keeping safe when downloading our apps:<\/p>\n – Only install apps from official stores, such as Apple\u2019s App Store or Google Play (for Android phone or tablet).<\/p>\n – Check the name of the publisher before downloading the app.<\/p>\n – Avoid installing apps from links received in an email, social media post, text message or a web page that doesn\u2019t look right. The best way to download an app is to go to the store and download it from there.<\/p>\n – Read user reviews and ratings to assess if an app delivers a good experience.<\/p>\n – Many apps collect and send personal data from your phone, including your location and contacts. Keep on top of this by reviewing and managing permissions for each app. On an iOS device, this can be done under the \u2018Settings > Privacy\u2019 function. On an Android device, you can find them under \u2018Application Manager\u2019.<\/p>\n – Read the terms of any app looking to access your contacts, location or other personal information when you log in using a third party service (such as Facebook or LinkedIn).<\/p>\n – If a customer notices an unusual transaction on their account, they should contact us on 13 2221 immediately to report it.<\/p>\n – Our apps are published from \u201cCommonwealth Bank of Australia\u201d or \u201cCommSec\u201d. MasterCard publishes two apps for business merchants, \u201cCommBank Simplify Controls\u201d and \u201cCommBank Simplify Payments\u201d, on our behalf.<\/p>\n ANZ SECURITY ADVICE<\/strong><\/p>\n Customers should always check the following before to downloading a new app:<\/p>\n – Check the popularity of the app: thousands of downloads and very few reviews suggests a fake app.<\/p>\n – Check the name of the app or developer and reviews: minor errors in the name, inconsistency with ANZ products or suspicious comments may indicate the app is a fake.<\/p>\n – Check the pattern of reviews including time frames from app launch to commentary: reviews in quick succession of launch are a red flag.<\/p>\n – If in doubt, go to the web page of the developer: lack of details about the developers, and linkage to a legitimate site is another indicator.<\/p>\n – Check that the permissions required by the app are in line with activities you will be performing: if the permissions seem excessive this is another red flag.<\/p>\n – If a customer believes they have downloaded a fake ANZ app please contact us immediately on 1800 033 844<\/p>\n – If they suspect a fake ANZ app is available on Google Play or on the App Store, they should contact hoax<\/span> [at] cybersecurity [dot] anz [dot] com<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n – Information on the latest security alerts can be found on ANZ.com \u2014 https:\/\/www.anz.com.au\/security\/fraud-detection\/latest-security-alerts\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n . @ANZ<\/a>, @CommonwealthBank app scam: Thousands download fake versions https:\/\/t.co\/lUBV1yzx09<\/a> #finserv<\/a> #security<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/gIPzvwOqiu<\/a><\/p>— Mark Donohue (@Mark_BankingCX) September 20, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote>
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