Hours: Mon‑Fri 9:00am‑5:00pm, Sat 10:00am‑3:00pm

Should I Be Worried about Malware on My Android Device?

This is a great question to ask. It is a common to get this question on the phone or in the store, so here is an article on malware for Android Devices.

The answer is YES. You should be worried about the security of your device. These days we carry a lot of personal information on our devices like credit cards, banking information, pictures and videos, emails, contacts and more. Chances are great that a good chunk of your life is stored on your most personal device and you probably carry it everywhere with you.

There are many attacks that occur to your device without your knowledge just by not knowing they exist and how to protect yourself from them. We will cover the most important few that deal with Android here. Look out for the next article that deals with iPhones!

Ransomware

This is the most important topic of device security of 2016. Ransomware is on the rise and the creators of it are profiting from your demise. Ransomware acts as a normal app but will encrypt your phone’s entire filesystem with a private password and will not release he password to you for decryption unless you pay a ransom in Bitcoin.

How To Protect Yourself From Ransomware

Do not download apps from Unknown Sources. Meaning do not download apps outside of the Google Play Store. This isn’t a surefire protection method as some have infiltrated the GPS but it will help a lot. Next, if you are infected with Ransomware contact a professional malware removal expert. They usually can help for less than the cost of the ransom.

Adware

There are apps on the Google Play store that mask themselves as popular apps like Pokemon GO or Five Nights At Freddys, but inside of this seemingly harmless game is a malicious code that will send you advertisements that you may not even notice as out of the ordinary. In most cases these ads are taking you to “phishing” websites that are trying to steal your personal information.

How To Protect Yourself From Adware

If something seems off about the apps page on Google Play check the publisher name and do a quick Google search to make sure that is the publisher of the app you want. If you start to notice a lot of ads on your phone when browsing the internet or reading an email don’t click these. Remove the app immediately to stop and download Avast malware scanner for Android to remove any embedded malicious code.

A trojan is a file masked as an app you want but opens a backdoor into your device that allows a penetrator to achieve access directly to your phone to do whatever they want. They can access your camera, mic, files like pics and vids, delete stuff, log everything you type in, control your text messages and record your phone calls.

Again, to protect yourself from a trojan horse attack DO NOT DOWNLOAD FROM UNKNOWN SOURCES. This is critical. If you feel you are a victim of a trojan horse attack you can download an anti-malware software from Google Play Store like Kapersky to run scans and any unwanted backdoors and code.

As for a couple of general methods of protecting yourself:

  • Do not download from any place outside of Google Play Store
  • Use an anti-malware software like Kapersky or Avast on your device
  • Review the permissions the app is asking for before installing. Make sure this seems legitimate for this type of app. For example, an app that lets your kids color shouldn’t be asking for permission to use your GPS, Bluetooth, or SMS.

I hope this article helps you feel more secure in knowing that you can protect yourself from malware attacks as well as the knowledge that yes it does happen to thousands of people everyday that do not take the proper precautions.

Search