Gmail app on your smartphone can be hacked easily

Washington: A team of researchers have identified a flaw in Android, Windows and iOS mobile operating systems, which allowed them to hack several apps including Gmail with a success rate of 82 to 92 per cent. Gmail was hacked with success rate of 92 per cent, WebMD (85 per  cent), CHASE Bank (83) and H and R Block with 92 per cent, were found 'easy to be hacked'.

However, Amazon, with a 48 per cent success rate, was the only app they tested that was difficult to penetrate.

The researchers believe their method will work on other operating systems because they share a key feature researchers exploited in the Android system. However, they haven't tested the program using the other systems. 

The author of the research paper, Zhiyun Qian revealed that there are two keys to the attack. One, the attack needs to take place at the exact moment the user is logging into the app or taking the picture. Two, the attack needs to be done in an inconspicuous way. The researchers did this by carefully calculating the attack timing, the report said.