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Cybersecurity Expert Gary Miliefsky

Gary Miliefsky - CEO of SnoopWall and founding member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - joined Bret Baier for an exclusive interview on The Daily Bret to discuss an alarming privacy breach posed by smartphone flashlight apps.

Miliefsky, who has advised two White House administrations on cybersecurity, said that this problem is bigger than Ebola because 500 million people are infected and they don't know it.

Miliefsky explained that the top 10 flashlight apps currently available at the Google Play store are all malware.

"They're malicious, they're spying, they're snooping and they're stealing," he said, adding that that stolen information has primarily flowed into three countries: China, India and Russia.

Miliefsky added that the stolen data is used mainly for criminal purposes, but if one of those states wants information on Americans, they now have easier access.

He said that he had his team at SnoopWall start looking into the flashlight apps when he noticed that his personal smartphone was opening up his GPS and contacts without his knowledge.

"This is brand-new information. Top 10 flashlight apps - half a billion downloads - all acting in a very malicious way."

As for what to do if you have one of these apps installed on your phone, Miliefsky recommended deleting the app and taking the phone to where you purchased it for a factory reset.

Summary: We tested and installed the Top 10 Android Flashlight Apps on various smartphones and tablets. Windows and Apple iOS flashlights behave in a similar fashion, however, more restricted in their spying capabilities due to the hardened OS features of Windows 8.1RT and Apple iOS 7 & 8.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8xz8xKEFvU

http://www.snoopwall.com/threat-reports-10-01-2014/

http://www.snoopwall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Flashlight-Spyware-Appendix-2014.pdf

http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/10/01/major-cybersecurity-threat-lurking-half-billion-us-smartphones