In today’s digital world, smartphones have become a big part of our lives. Our personal information, photos, videos, bank details, social media, and other important data are all saved on our phones. It’s important to keep our phone safe. Smartphones can get infected with any malware, in results can steal our sensitive details, mess up with our data, and even put our money at risk. In this article, we’ll explain how to find malware on your phone and how to stay safe from it.
What is Malware?
Malware is a malicious software. Hackers uses these programs to infect our mobile/computer systems. It can steal personal information such as photos, videos, contacts, messages etc. There are many types of malware, some are listed below:
- Spyware: Softwares that are developed to gather and send victims personal information to attaker.
- Ransomware: Software that encrypts users system data and demands money from them.
- Adware: Softwares that puts annoying and frequent ads in users device.
- Trojans: Dangerous software that appears as a normal app but actually a bad program to trick you.
- Viruses: Programs that spread across your phone and infect other apps.
Signs of Malware on Phone
If malware has infected your phone, there might be some signs. If you can identify these symptoms, you can quickly take action to solve it. Here are some major signs that can alert you to a malware infection:
Unwanted ads and apps appearing: If you’re seeing unnecessary and irritating ads while browsing the internet, or if an app starts showing pop-ups or ads all the time, that’s a sign of malware. Clicking on these ads can lead to theft of your personal data. Also, if new apps start appearing on your phone even though you haven’t installed them, it might be malware affected apps.
Phone overheating and battery drain: Normally, phones can get a little warm after long use, but if your phone is heating up for no reason, it could be a sign of a dangerous app running in the background. Malware can drain your phone’s battery by using processing power for tasks like cryptocurrency mining, sending spam, or doing illegal activities.
Phone slow and freezing: Normally, smartphones are fast, but if your phone starts freezing often, or there are issues switching between apps, or apps are running very slowly, this could be a sign of malware. In such cases, some app might be running unauthorized activities in the background.
Phone calls dropping automatically: If your phone keeps dropping calls, even with a good network connection, it could be a sign of malware. Malware can change your phone's network settings and disrupt call connectivity.
Data consumption suddenly increases: If your phone is using more data than usual, it could also be a sign of malware. Especially if you haven’t used any data-heavy apps like video streaming, gaming, or large file downloads, then the sudden increase in data consumption could mean that malware is using your data in the background.
How to Stay Safe from Malware?
To keep your phone safe, you can take the following precautions:
Avoid cheap and insecure apps: It’s very important to stay away from unauthorized and insecure apps. Only download apps from official app stores like Google Play Store. Also, don’t download pirated software or media files.
Don’t click suspicious links and attachments: If you see any suspicious links or attachments in social media, emails, or text messages, don’t click on them. Hackers can spread malware through such links. These links can also steal your personal data.
Use anti-malware software: It is important to regularly install anti-malware software on your phone. Anti-malware software scans for unauthorized apps and activities in the background and notifies you if any threats are detected.
Regularly update your phone and apps: To get security updates and bug fixes, regularly update your phone and apps. Updates help protect against new malware threats.
Don’t install apps from unknown sources: Only download apps from trusted sources. Go to settings and disable the “Install from Unknown Sources” option, which prevents apps from being installed from unauthorized sources.
Strengthen your phone’s password and security measures: Use a strong password on your phone. You can also use two-factor authentication (2FA) and biometric security (like fingerprint, face recognition) for better protection.
Check Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings: Be cautious when connecting to public or insecure Wi-Fi networks. These networks have a high risk of data theft. So, use secure Wi-Fi and only turn on Bluetooth when necessary.
Conclusion
The personal information and data stored on today’s smartphones are highly sensitive, and we must make every effort to protect this information. Malware is a real threat, but if you take the right steps, you can avoid it. By following the signs mentioned above and the security measures, you can keep your smartphone safe from malware and ensure the protection of your personal information. To secure your smartphone, you need to stay vigilant and stay informed about the latest security measures for your device.
