How to Secure Account Access After Revoking App Permissions
Question details
The user wants to know if a potentially malicious third-party application can continue accessing account data for a fixed period (such as 21 days) after its permissions have been revoked.
- Product
- Account Security
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Removing a malicious third-party app and ensuring it no longer has access to personal account data.
- Observed behavior
- Worrying about continuous unauthorized data access after manually revoking the app's authorizations.
Ensure you are logged into your primary account dashboard on a secure, trusted device before reviewing and modifying your third-party application permissions.
Revoke Access and Update Security Credentials
Stop further unauthorized access by officially revoking app permissions and updating your account security settings.
Once an app's permission is revoked, it immediately loses access to your account through that authorization. There is no standard '21-day' grace period for continued access. However, any data the application collected before you revoked its access may still remain on its servers.
Navigate to your account's privacy or security settings page, locate the 'Third-party apps with account access' section, select the suspicious app, and click 'Remove access' or 'Revoke permission'.
Go to your account settings and change your password immediately to invalidate any credentials that the malicious app might have compromised.
Turn on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or Two-Step Verification in your security settings to add a secondary layer of protection against unauthorized logins.
Check your account's 'Recent Activity' or 'Sign-in Activity' page to identify and report any unfamiliar login locations or synchronization events.
Scan Your Device for Local Malware
Ensure no residual malicious software is running locally on your device to steal newly updated credentials.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a 21-day grace period for apps after revoking permissions?
No, there is no general 21-day access period. Once you revoke a third-party app's permissions from your account settings, the system invalidates the authorization and its access to your live data is terminated immediately.
What happens to the data the app already collected?
Revoking permissions only stops future data collection. The app developer may still retain the information they gathered before you revoked their access. You must contact the developer directly or check their privacy policy to request data deletion.
Should I change my password after removing a malicious app?
Yes. It is highly recommended to change your account password and enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) immediately. This ensures that even if the app scraped your login credentials, they will no longer be valid for future access.
How can I check if my account has been compromised?
Most major platforms have a 'Recent Activity' or 'Sign-in Activity' page in their security dashboard. Check this section to review unauthorized logins, unfamiliar IP addresses, or unexpected account changes.
