Tech Desk 
Jun 29, 2025
Researchers in Australia have created a new tool that could help police and investigators find hidden vault apps on Android smartphones. These apps often look like normal tools—such as a calculator or photo gallery—but are secretly used to hide files, messages, and even other apps.
The study, conducted by Edith Cowan University and the University of Southern Queensland, used machine learning (ML) to detect these vault apps with up to 98% accuracy.
This could make a big difference for digital investigations, especially when suspects use such apps to hide illegal data.
What are vault apps?
Vault apps are designed to protect personal privacy by storing sensitive files behind passwords or encryption. While they can be useful for everyday users, they’ve also been linked to illegal activities like spying or hiding criminal evidence.
“These apps can disguise themselves to look like regular apps, which makes them really hard to spot,” said Associate Professor Mike Johnstone from ECU. He added that current tools need to already know which apps to look for, a limitation that this new AI model overcomes.
Instead of checking for known apps, the machine learning model looks for patterns and behaviors that suggest an app might be hiding something. This means it can detect unknown or modified vault apps, giving law enforcement a more effective way to investigate smartphones without needing prior app lists.
The team now plans to test this system on non-Android devices, expand their dataset, and use more advanced algorithms.
