The problem is in the way the tablet and smartphone apps implement the security protocol used in communicating with users' Web browsers, the researchers said. An analysis of thousands of free apps found nearly 8% vulnerable to as a result of unsound use of secure socket layer (SSL).

In general, mobile apps use transport layer security (TLS), which includes the SSL protocol, for transmitting and receiving sensitive data while communicating with a Web server. The researchers claim that flaws in the implementation make it possible for an attacker to intercept and control the data traffic.

During the analysis, researchers were able to intercept from the apps a variety of user information, such as credit card numbers, bank account information, PayPal credentials and social network credentials.

Google did not respond to a request for comment.