If you have a child who has a smartphone or a spouse who is acting suspicious, they might be hiding things on their mobile devices. How are they doing this? By using vault apps. Basically, these apps offer a place where people can hide things like videos, photos, and other files, and you would probably never realize it by looking at their phones.
These vault apps are basically little storage apps where people can store things they want to hide. Some of them are called “Calculator Vault,” “Ky-Calc,” and “Calculator Percent.” Unsurprisingly, if you were to open these apps, they simply look like a calculator. In fact, you can use them as a calculator. But, if a secret code is put into the app, you can store things. For example, “Ky-Calc” allows users to store images, keep a separate contact list, and it even has a hidden internet browser.
If you are like most people you probably don’t want your kids to hide things from you, but at the end of the day, the real danger is hiding in these apps. Yes, apps like these are commonly found on the phones of sneaky kids and spouses, they also are popular for predators. These are people who begin to engage with your kids online, and then ask your kids to download these apps….and then, they can communicate with them without you realizing it.
Here are some things that you should know about vault apps:
- Vault apps are not very safe. Though they might seem safe, people can easily take a screen shot, and then share it with someone else.
- These apps look just like other apps. Typically, they are calculators, and they even work like calculators, but they are accessed with a secret code.
- If you look at a person’s phone and they have two or more calculator apps on the phone, there is probably something weird happening. All smart phones have a calculator on them, so why would you need another?
- Vault apps are usually free, and they are quite easy to find in the App Store or the Google Play Store. People find them by searching for “hidden apps,” “photo vault,” or even “ghost apps.”
- You may also be shocked to learn that teens often have competitions with their friends to see what type of content they can hide on these apps without getting caught.
- Most people who use a mobile phone know that these apps exist, and even kids as young as 12-years old or younger use them.
If you are a parent, or even if you think your spouse is acting strange, you should start looking into the mobile devices of those in your family. There should be an open and honest discussion about this, and it shouldn’t be a taboo subject, especially when it comes to a loved one. Quite frankly, your kids shouldn’t expect total privacy until they are 18 years old. With a spouse, it’s respect for each other. If you don’t have trust with your kids or spouse, there is an issue.
Written by Robert Siciliano, CEO of Credit Parent, Head of Training & Security Awareness Expert at Protect Now, #1 Best Selling Amazon author, Media Personality & Architect of CSI Protection Certification.
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