
Aptoide called it a ploy against healthy competition and cited a Japanese study that found Aptoide’s content to be the “safest.”Īptoide’s reminder to create unique, secure passwords for each site you use is more important than ever. This is not the first time Aptoide has found itself the subject of some controversy in 2018 the company found that its app was labeled as unsafe by Google, and that some Android users were being prompted to uninstall it. Aptoide seems genuinely surprised by the breach, and its users likely are, too. You’re never safe - Even the most secure-looking websites and other databases can be hacked. Device details and dates of birth were also compromised in the breach if users chose to add them. The company notes that these could be decrypted with a brute-force attack and reminded users to change their passwords, especially if they've used the same one for other website logins. Users who did sign up with an email address and password are most affected by the breach, though those credentials are encrypted in the database, Aptoide says. The company says that 32 million people have signed into the app that way. That login information isn’t stored in Aptoide’s databases at all. Most people are probably fine - Besides the fact that most of its users don’t sign up for an account, Aptoide says those who have signed up by linking a Google or Facebook account are safe despite the breach. The company admits this was not enough and that it is discussing how to better store user data in the future. “The security of our users is a priority for us, and we have always tried to implement policies that make Aptoid a safe environment.”Īptoide also says it has already hired external companies to audit its infrastructure in the past. “We feel deeply ashamed and would like to apologize sincerely,” the company said. Whether or not that's true, this breach is a reminder that users need to be more vigilant than ever in protecting their own credentials.Īshamed and apologetic - Aptoide says it really has no idea how someone gained access to its records.

Aptoide also says it’s the safest alternative app store available for Android.
