Third party phone apps - Security concerns

[Chavilan]

Hi everyone, I am quite new on Synology,

I have download the 'DS Manager Pro' app for my iPhone, it looks brilliant but I have a big concern, I am not sure how safe it is give user/password to a third party company, could it be a security problem with this? Would it be better to create a specific user with limit permission for logging with those kind of apps?

Thanks in advance.

 

[fredbert]

Hopefully someone that uses it can explain how the login credentials are stored and if it uses direct or mediated access (i.e. is it a frontend to a hosted monitoring service). Are the login credentials provided to a third party or is it that you don't know if they leave the app, even when used for direct access? Valid questions and really have no choice but to take the developer's word for what is happening.

I have the same thoughts as you, so for the Synology NAS I use their apps and web interface for management and monitoring. However, I do use other apps to access file shares, with standard user accounts.

 

[WST16]

I have DS Manager pro. I think the only calls it makes are to the AppStore and it’s done via Akamai. Might be to verify the app and the purchased options. I see this on my AdGuard log.

Unfortunately, Akamai is huge and tends to be everywhere. A lot of things break if one tries to block Akamai. For example, access to the AppStore breaks if it's blocked. So I think Apple is using some of their "Intelligent Edge" services.

It's worth mentioning that the developer's privacy policy on the AppStore states that no data is collected. If I'm selling such an app, I'd be stupid if I try to betray my clients trust by collecting their devices credentials. It would be devastating to my reputation and credibility if discovered.

I'd be cautious of apps that request things that don't make sense. I had a stupid IP camera app that asked for contacts and location access. Yea right. I didn't grant this to my bank's app let alone giving it to a camera app.

P.S. your NAS is capable of running Docker, so you can install something like AdGuard or Pi Hole. And if you’re new to all of this, take a deep breath and hop on the roller coaster, so much to learn and discover. Welcome aboard