How to check if your phone has malware!

 

How are you all? Hope everybody is well. As always, I have come up with a new post.

To begin with:

The importance of smartphones cannot be overstated. All the work that used to be done on the PC can now be done with the phone and so we have much more important data in our phone. To give a simple example, a few days ago we used to use a PC for editing a word document and now we can do it on the phone. For this accessibility, our phone has personal data as well as various information of the workplace. And if ever this smartphone is lost! Can you imagine how much your privacy is at stake?

The fact that your phone is always lost will only allow someone else to use your data, but that is not the case. All phone information can be passed from you to any third party. Sometimes your phone can also act as a means of sending various information to hackers. And these things will only happen when any malware enters your phone. Different malware will unknowingly send all the data to a different source.

How to tell if your phone contains malware or if your privacy is at risk

So today we will look at how to know if there is any malware in your phone or if your privacy is at risk. If you have malware or any other spy app installed on your phone, you can detect it with some symptoms,

1. Phone working slow, battery running fast

When we use a phone for a long time, it naturally slows down a bit or the battery runs out quickly. But all of a sudden when you see such symptoms, you will understand that there is a problem on the phone. When malware sends your data to other places, the phone works very slowly and the battery usage also increases.

Moreover, you will notice that the phone is getting hot even if you do not use it. Even if no internet connection is running, you will see data being used. It's a different matter if your phone is too old, but if you suddenly notice something, you will understand that your phone has been attacked by malware.

2. Fast internet usage

If you use unlimited data pack then it is different but when you use limited data pack and notice that data is running out very fast then you will understand that your phone has been hacked.

If the hacker monitors you with the phone's webcam, there may be additional data or internet costs. You can also check Data Usages.

3. Strange Pop Up Ad Show

If you have an ad supported app installed on your phone, then sometimes you can see the pop up ad. All those ads are usually from Google. However, if you show any ad other than Google ad, then you will understand that there is a problem.

If your phone is hacked, it will show pop-up ads where you will be intimidated, may be told, scan your phone for viruses, clean the phone's storage is full or sometimes various lottery offers may come. Never fall into this trap and click on the links as it may lead you to a phishing website, hacking your various social media accounts!

4. Apps you haven't seen before

In your app drawer, you may notice an app that you have never installed yourself. Sometimes the number of such apps can be much higher.

It is not mandatory for malware apps to show up all the time. Apps may never show in the app drawer. To do this, go to the app from the settings and check.

5. Browser's home screen changes

If your phone's browser goes off and lands on a different website or shows an unfamiliar search engine, chances are your phone has been hacked.

Sometimes it can take you to a phishing website, a Facebook page, a Gmail login or a PayPal sign-in page.

Sending SMS without your knowledge

Check your call log at all times. If you see that you are unknowingly calling different unknown numbers and text is sent at the same time, then you understand that there is malware in your phone.

. Unusual activity on the linked account

We have logged in to various accounts like Facebook, Twitter, Google etc. on our smartphones. When malware enters the phone, hackers first target these accounts. If you see unusual activity on your social media account that you didn't do, login notifications from different places, password reset codes, then you know your phone has been hacked.

What to do if the phone is infected with malware?

You need to take action as soon as possible when you are sure that your phone has been hacked or infected with malware from the above mentioned behaviors,

• Quickly move the phone to Airplane mode, remove the memory card and SIM card from the phone.
• Hard Reset your phone. Note that I have mentioned Hard Reset. Hard reset should be given instead of the reset that is given from the settings. If you search on Google according to the model of the phone, you will get instructions. For example, How hard reset my Samsung Galaxy M21
• Take the SD card to your PC and scan it with good antivirus or anti malware or Windows Defender.
• Keep the important files on the PC and format the memory.
• Set up the phone anew and insert the SIM card and SD card.

In most cases, following the steps above can make your phone completely virus-free or malware-free, but if there is more malware, they can remain on the phone even after a reset. If you notice something unusual after resetting, flash your phone with the new firmware.

How to stay free of malware?

If your phone is infected with malware it may be too late for you to understand and fix it so be careful at all times so that malware does not enter the phone. Let's see how to keep your phone malware free,

• Use a different password for each of your online accounts.
• Use Password Manager to save passwords and generate solid passwords.
• You must lock your phone in any method, be it pattern or password.
• If you do not have a clear idea, refrain from rooting the phone through any third party app except the official website.
• Avoid websites that contain adult content, but don't forget to download any apps or games from those websites.
• If you have ever used a public charging cable, keep in mind that whether it is a normal cable or a data cable, the virus can also enter through the data cable.
• Refrain from installing Custom Firmware seeing good benefits from different places.
• After installing any app, notice what permission it wants. Never give permission that is not consistent.
• The most important thing is to refrain completely from installing apps from third party websites. Always install the app from Playstore. Because all the apps in the playstore are verified and then published. However, some popular apps are not in the Play Store, such as Vidmate, so you must use their official website to install such apps.

Last word

At present our smartphones store a lot of important information. So any mistake you make can seriously damage your privacy and so be aware at all times. Be more careful in using the phone.

Stay well until today, like today, until the next post. Allah - Hafiz