Cybersecurity News in Asia

RECENT STORIES:

SEGA moves faster with flow-based network monitoring
Vietnam Launches NDAChain, the National Blockchain Platform to Acceler...
Elitery a Pioneering MSSP Partner for Google Cloud’s “Indo...
Asia Pacific’s Mobile Sector Adds $950 Billion to GDP; On Track ...
PT Kereta Api Indonesia announces nationwide email and communication o...
Will governments assert stronger oversight over tech giants deemed as ...
LOGIN REGISTER
CybersecAsia
  • Features
    • Featured

      The rising threats and business risks of machine identities

      The rising threats and business risks of machine identities

      Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 12:19 PM Asia/Singapore | Features, IoT Security
    • Featured

      The future of AI-powered cybersecurity

      The future of AI-powered cybersecurity

      Monday, July 21, 2025, 4:04 PM Asia/Singapore | Features, Newsletter, Tips
    • Featured

      Transcending digital disruption: How financial institutions can integrate innovation, security, and agility

      Transcending digital disruption: How financial institutions can integrate innovation, security, and agility

      Thursday, July 10, 2025, 4:16 PM Asia/Singapore | Features
  • Opinions
  • Tips
  • Whitepapers
  • Awards 2025
  • Directory
  • E-Learning

Select Page

LOGIN REGISTER
  • Features
    • Featured

      The rising threats and business risks of machine identities

      The rising threats and business risks of machine identities

      Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 12:19 PM Asia/Singapore | Features, IoT Security
    • Featured

      The future of AI-powered cybersecurity

      The future of AI-powered cybersecurity

      Monday, July 21, 2025, 4:04 PM Asia/Singapore | Features, Newsletter, Tips
    • Featured

      Transcending digital disruption: How financial institutions can integrate innovation, security, and agility

      Transcending digital disruption: How financial institutions can integrate innovation, security, and agility

      Thursday, July 10, 2025, 4:16 PM Asia/Singapore | Features
  • Opinions
  • Tips
  • Whitepapers
  • Awards 2025
  • Directory
  • E-Learning
News

Cyber experts warn of privacy and security risks as AI gains default access to messaging apps

By CybersecAsia editors | Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 4:08 PM Asia/Singapore

Cyber experts warn of privacy and security risks as AI gains default access to messaging apps

Industry voices urge users to adopt strong cyber hygiene amid the granting of data permissions to AI assistants.

In July 2025, Google rolled out an update for its Gemini AI assistant on Android devices, enabling it by default to interact with data from popular third-party apps — including WhatsApp.

This new capability has sparked privacy and security concerns, drawing online commentary from experts across the cybersecurity industry.

According to one spokesperson from Huntress, “this default ‘App Content’ permission fundamentally weakens Android’s security model. Granting Gemini broad access to third-party app data without explicit user consent creates a high-risk attack surface. If compromised in any way, malicious actors could exploit this pathway to harvest sensitive information, ranging from banking details to private messages.” Broad permissions and lack of clear controls could allow attackers to use AI as a gateway to other apps and data, highlighting the need for tighter app-based consent boundaries.

Check Point Software’s spokesperson has commented: “Attackers are likely to target Gemini first, as compromising it could serve as a gateway to access other applications and services on a mobile device. The potential for access to sensitive data is a significant concern; mobile devices are rich sources of personal information that users highly value. Additionally, app metadata may be collected and fed into the model without clear transparency.” Functions with over-allocated permissions could allow actions they may never have been explicitly approved by users to any installed apps.

Marc Rivero, Lead Security Researcher, Kaspersky, has also spoken out against the move: “Private messaging apps are among the most sensitive digital spaces for users as they contain intimate conversations, personal data, and potentially confidential information. Granting an AI tool automatic access to these messages without clear, explicit consent fundamentally undermines user trust. While Google says this feature is designed to make interactions more seamless, the lack of transparency and the opt-out rather than opt-in approach could potentially leave many users unaware that their private chats are being processed by an AI system.”

Until sufficient outcries succeed in putting a stop to this development, users are advised to follow some available interim methods, as well as foundation best practices in cyber- and privacy- hygiene.

Share:

PreviousThe rising threats and business risks of machine identities
NextCloud4C Unveils Advanced AI-powered Cybersecurity Innovations in Cambodia, Amidst Rising Cyberattacks in the Country

Related Posts

Multiple surveys and reports show similar financial fraud trends and threats

Multiple surveys and reports show similar financial fraud trends and threats

Friday, September 27, 2024

Nine cybersecurity trends to watch out for in 2021

Nine cybersecurity trends to watch out for in 2021

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Q4 2020 saw slowdown of RDP attack surge but a rise in supply-chain attacks

Q4 2020 saw slowdown of RDP attack surge but a rise in supply-chain attacks

Monday, February 15, 2021

Money laundering in APAC: is AI the most powerful detergent or deterrent?

Money laundering in APAC: is AI the most powerful detergent or deterrent?

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Voters-draw/RCA-Sponsors

Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
Slide
previous arrow
next arrow

CybersecAsia Voting Placement

Gamification listing or Participate Now

PARTICIPATE NOW

Vote Now -Placement(Google Ads)

Top-Sidebar-banner

Whitepapers

  • 2024 Insider Threat Report: Trends, Challenges, and Solutions

    2024 Insider Threat Report: Trends, Challenges, and Solutions

    Insider threats continue to be a major cybersecurity risk in 2024. Explore more insights on …Download Whitepaper
  • AI-Powered Cyber Ops: Redefining Cloud Security for 2025

    AI-Powered Cyber Ops: Redefining Cloud Security for 2025

    The future of cybersecurity is a perfect storm: AI-driven attacks, cloud expansion, and the convergence …Download Whitepaper
  • Data Management in the Age of Cloud and AI

    Data Management in the Age of Cloud and AI

    In today’s Asia Pacific business environment, organizations are leaning on hybrid multi-cloud infrastructures and advanced …Download Whitepaper
  • Mitigating Ransomware Risks with GRC Automation

    Mitigating Ransomware Risks with GRC Automation

    In today’s landscape, ransomware attacks pose significant threats to organizations of all sizes, with increasing …Download Whitepaper

Middle-sidebar-banner

Case Studies

  • Operationalizing sustainability in cybersecurity: Group-IB’s approach

    Operationalizing sustainability in cybersecurity: Group-IB’s approach

    See how the firm turned malware-group takedowns into measurements of sustainability and resilience gains: by …Read more
  • Thai government expands secure email management to close cybersecurity gaps

    Thai government expands secure email management to close cybersecurity gaps

    New measures address cybersecurity gaps in public sector communications, deploying advanced protections and operational support …Read more
  • How Iress optimized global DevSecOps

    How Iress optimized global DevSecOps

    Scaling compliance, security & efficiency – while seamlessly migrating to the cloud – with JFrog.Read more
  • St Luke’s ElderCare enhances operations and capabilities through a centralized secure, scalable network

    St Luke’s ElderCare enhances operations and capabilities through a centralized secure, scalable network

    With only a small IT team, the digital transformation has united operations across 30 locations, …Read more

Bottom sidebar

  • Our Brands
  • DigiconAsia
  • MartechAsia
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertising & Reprint Policy
  • Media Kit
  • Subscribe
  • Manage Subscriptions
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2025 CybersecAsia All Rights Reserved.