Usually, we find our phone slows down or a few apps start to malfunction. Usually, a quick reboot will fix these problems. Sometimes there is a nagging doubt – is my phone infected with a virus? And that brings us to the actual question, does the virus affect cell phones and smartphones?
Before we continue, I would like to clarify that Google regularly releases Android Security update patches for most smartphones. Those patches protect your phone from most nefarious vulnerabilities. However, what if your phone manufacturer hasn’t released that update yet? What if your phone behaves randomly?
Well, that is what we are going to answer in this article today. So without further ado, let’s get started.
What is a virus and should you worry?
PC users must already know that computers often face virus attacks. Such attacks are dangerous and nasty because Overwrite Virus deletes the contents of infected files. Or, there is some virus like Direct Action that installs itself on the computer (and doesn’t work).
And naturally, these viruses are difficult to detect. What makes matters worse is that before the infection could be removed, these programs copied. In short, a virus can corrupt or change the data in your computer. Of course, that’s not the whole story, but you get the gist.
But over the years, the definition of a virus has gradually faded, although the technical definition has remained the same. To the common man, a virus can include any kind of nefarious program like spyware, ransomware, malware.
Technically, malware is not a virus. Instead, they are programs specifically built to damage or gain unauthorized access to a computer. That is done by stealing account passwords, downloading unauthorized malicious programs into your system, or tracking your location and activity. Scary and annoying.
Can my smartphone get a virus
Technically, there are no cases of viruses infecting Android phones or iOS devices. There are no widely reported cases of phone program duplication resembling a PC virus. In the case of iOS devices, iOS is designed to restrict access to core functionality, and a lot of apps mostly work in sandbox mode without access to core functions.
However, jailbroken or rooted phones are often open to any suspicious app that hijacks and infects the device. That can be done by sneakily getting more permissions for other apps and programs that they should have.
The bottom line is that, technically, your phone can’t get a virus. But you will be surprised to know that there have been many cases of malware on Android and iOS devices.
Right from reading messages to monitoring your calls or tricking people into granting unnecessary permissions, malware has the potential to do many malicious things. And yes, the normal pop-up ads you see on your phone’s lock screen also have the potential to introduce malware to your phone.
In fact, adware is the most pervasive among phones. That is happening because they are easily distributed and do not require complex hacking techniques. Attackers can insert apps with adware and all you need to do is download them to your phone.
The worst part is that sometimes these ads don’t even run in the foreground. Yep, you read that right. They happily run in the background, consuming your phone battery and network data.
If we look at Malwarebytes data, adware ranks as the most common type of consumer malware in 2018. And one of the most recent strains is Agent Smith, which affected almost 25. million Android devices. It infiltrated the Google Play Store and hid in 11 apps.
How to determine if your smartphone has malware
Overheating and Poor Battery Life
Does your phone heat up more? Or, is the battery draining sooner than you expect? If the answer is yes, it’s time to examine your phone a little more closely. Go through the list of apps on your phone to determine if there are any apps that you may not have installed.
To analyze battery usage, go to your phone’s settings and search for Battery. Next, tap the button that says View detailed usage and see which apps are consuming the most battery.
If you haven’t used those apps according to the stats, it’s time to delete them.
Increase data usage
Are you getting increased data usage and unexplained calls or texts? Most malware uses the internet in the background to transfer information from your phone or to run ads. If you see an unexplained spike in data usage, that could be a sign.
To check the data usage of each app, go to Settings > Wifi & Internet > Data Usage and tap Mobile Data Usage.
Excessive app crashes
Usually, apps crash if they are not updated to the latest version. Also, if the app is not optimized for the phone, it may start to crash randomly. But if you can rule out these two causes, you might be looking for something funny going on.
Advertisements, Advertisements and Other Advertisements
Last but not least, the moment you get pop-up ads on your mobile, start scrutinizing apps. The smart way to determine is to check a few of the most recently installed apps. Once you locate the source, uninstall those apps without wasting a second.
Also, it’s not just ads that show up at random times of the day. Even if you notice an ad when opening a popular app like WhatsApp or Twitter, it’s time to look at your phone under a microscope. At the time of writing, neither WhatsApp nor Twitter serve ads.
How to stay safe
1. Update phone software
Do you regularly update your phone? If not, it’s time for you to do it. OTA phone updates bring new or modified features and ensure that your phone is up to date with the latest security patches.
To find the Android security patch level for your phone, navigate to Settings > About phone and tap the card that says Android security patch level. Here you can check the date of the latest security patch for your device.
If you see an old date, go to Settings > System and System Updates to check for any pending updates.
2. Only use approved apps
First, download whatever apps you need and no more. Second, we strongly recommend using the official app stores to download apps.
Also, keep in mind that just downloading from the Google Play Store is not a perfect plan. In April 2019, researchers found 50 apps containing adware in Google Play alone. And the bad news is that those apps have been downloaded more than 30 million times.
So when you install an app from the Play Store, double check its legitimacy. An app with Twitter content but spelled Tweeter is something you want to stay away from. And if we go by the patterns, most of the malicious code is found in photo editing apps, wallpaper apps, and fitness apps.
Pro tips
Take back control
In today’s world, security is paramount. So, if you’re not too careful with it, you could be vulnerable to remote attacks and data loss or in worse situations, even money.
Therefore, we recommend that you exercise strict control and be vigilant when installing apps or pop-up ads that randomly appear on your phone.
Next up: Worried that your phone has been hacked? Read the following post to learn about ways to protect your phone from such attacks.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
