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Android mobile VoIP apps: a survey and examination of their security and privacy

Author

Listed:
  • Abdullah Azfar

    (University of South Australia)

  • Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo

    (University of South Australia)

  • Lin Liu

    (University of South Australia)

Abstract

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has become increasingly popular among individuals and business organisations, with millions of users communicating using VoIP applications (apps) on their smart mobile devices. Since Android is one of the most popular mobile platforms, this research focuses on Android devices. In this paper we survey the research that examines the security and privacy of mVoIP published in English from January 2009 to January 2014. We also examine the ten most popular free mVoIP apps for Android devices, and analyse the communications to determine whether the voice and text communications using these mVoIP apps are encrypted. The results indicate that most of the apps encrypt text communications, but voice communications may not have been encrypted in Fring, ICQ, Tango, Viber, Vonage, WeChat and Yahoo. The findings described in this paper contribute to an in-depth understanding of the potential privacy risks inherent in the communications using these apps, a previously understudied app category. Six potential research topics are also outlined.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdullah Azfar & Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo & Lin Liu, 2016. "Android mobile VoIP apps: a survey and examination of their security and privacy," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 73-111, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:elcore:v:16:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s10660-015-9208-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10660-015-9208-1
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    Cited by:

    1. Shan Du & Hua Li, 2019. "The Knowledge Mapping of Mobile Commerce Research: A Visual Analysis Based on I-Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-26, March.
    2. Liu, Feng & Zhao, Shaoqiong & Li, Yang, 2017. "How many, how often, and how new? A multivariate profiling of mobile app users," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 71-80.

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