Many people miss the good old days when your mobile phone was just your mobile phone, and not that smaller of your computers, the one that you’re in habit of constantly carrying around. Mobile phones have had a rapid advancement rate in the last decade, and mobile malware has followed and is now on the rise as well. Especially since 2015. If you’re in need of tips on how to protect yourself from it, you’ve come to the right place, so let’s see what you can do to protect your phone.
Keep An Eye Out For App Clones
When you’ve found a new app and you decide that you want to download it, you should be extra careful, since it might be a specially designed clone of the real app that you wanted. Hackers are known to make these fake apps, fill them with malware and then just wait for someone to fall into their trap and download the malicious app. These fake apps are even popping up more often than their legitimate counterparts.
This is exactly what happened back in 2014 when the creator of “Flappy Bird” decided to take it down, but then a whole bunch of fake apps appeared overnight, all claiming they’re the real one.
Two security firms, Trend Micro and Sophos, have investigated this and their research has shown that more than 80% of the new “Flappy bird” apps were filled with malware. Once you get on your phone, their goal is to download other harmful apps, programs, and of course, more malware. Then the apps proceed to steal every bit of info about you and your device that it can find and send it to whoever posted it in the first place.
Use Legitimate App Stores
There are a few ways that you can protect yourself from getting your device infected with a bunch of malware, and the first thing you should remember to always do is only use legitimate app sources, like Google Play store, for example. Next, you want to be sure that the designer/publisher of the app is also legitimate, and you really shouldn’t count on the app store to figure out the fake apps and remove them, because that takes time, and the fake apps have managed to achieve over several hundreds of thousands of downloads before anyone realized that it’s malicious.
Just to be sure, explore the names and sources, make sure that they’re legit, and only use those sources that you trust and recognize. Apps reviews are also a great source of information, as well as the info section. Most apps that want to be noticed and downloaded will promise anything, and half of those promises will not only seem unlikely but also pretty impossible, once you start seriously thinking about it. So basically, just remember to check out the promises, reviews and the number of stars that the app has, and that should be your indicator what might not be a safe option for you.
Turn On The Malware Scanner
Many of Android phones that run software version 2.2 or higher have Google’s Verify Apps as a part of their system. This is a good news for you if you have those apps since they automatically scan every program for malware and similar malicious code before they allow you to install it, whether the app comes from the Play Store or another source.
This scanner will also check out all of the apps that you’ve already got on your device, just in case some of them are behaving in a weird and suspicious way. After all, hackers are getting craftier and craftier every day, and constantly thinking up new ways to access your personal info. So, if any of your apps suddenly starts reaching towards your personal information, Verify app will be there to stop it. If your operating system is older than version 4.2, the app should already be on by default, and for those with newer versions, you’ll just have to turn it on by yourself.
The process of activation is mostly simple, and we recommend that you do this. The steps might be different for different devices, but in most cases, you’ll need to go to “Security” and turn on either “Scan Device For Security Threats”, or “Unknown Sources”. For more details, you should visit Google Android Support’s Verify App.
Keep Your Software Updated
Some people like to keep their devices extremely organized and with the so-called military precision. These people have a really hard time when it comes to software update because that usually messes up with the careful balance that they’ve achieved, and we get that. Still, even though it’s an annoyance, we must recommend you update your apps as soon as you see the option because it’s going to happen sooner or later, and if you’re avoiding it, you’re simply delaying the inevitable. And while you wait, you’re exposed to security breaches that the malware might use to infect you.
This slight annoyance might save you from having all of your data wiped, or even having to buy a new phone.
If you’re busy and constantly going somewhere, postpone the updates, but only until the evening, even if you can afford to do it only minutes before going to bed, do it as the last task for the day. That way, when you wake up, your device will be waiting, freshly updated and secure for the following use.
Know What You’re Allowing
When you’re downloading a new app, it always gives you a list of permissions that it’ll need, thus giving you the opportunity to deny them. This is a must, even for fake apps, or those with malware infection, and in order to help yourself, we recommend you carefully read what permissions your apps ask of you. These requests might include access to your GPS location, contacts and alike, and they’re open doors in your device’s security.
So, if you check it out, carefully, in the Play Store and realize that there are irregularities in app’s additional information, for example, it’s probably best if you avoid it. We’ll give you an example: If a poker game app wants access to info like contacts list, phone status, network connections, GPS and alike, that’s not a normal behavior.
Get An Antivirus
All of the big brands of antivirus apps and programs that you’ve ever used on your PC can now also be used on your smartphone, and we really recommend you do this as well if you wish to be truly safe. Many are completely free, even though there are some that require a small monthly fee, but adding an extra layer is always a good option, and it’d be a shame if you got your phone destroyed and your data was stolen or lost only because a few dollars per month was too much for you. If you decide to do this, you can check out AV-Test to decide which antivirus would go best with you and your device.
Never Store Financial Info On Your Smartphone
The safest way for you to ensure that your financial data isn’t stolen from your phone is to not keep it there at all. There are a bunch of small apps that we don’t think twice about, and that can be a real goldmine when it comes to your personal info that might be used for theft, and many hackers can figure this out and steal from you if you’re not careful. Don’t use virtual wallets, and don’t store your info into banking apps, that’s the best way of protecting yourself.
We live in the modern times, where phones are still treated as phones by their users, and not as information goldmines that they really are. A faulty security can lead to many dangers, some of which we’ve mentioned here, and many that we haven’t. It’s up to you to start treating your security seriously and prepare your devices to resist potential attacks.
