What you need to know about mobile viruses
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You might have heard whispers that the Android is susceptible to viruses–and they wouldn’t be wrong–but guess what, your iPhone isn’t safe either. Much like how your Facebook is susceptible to attack, your tablet or your phone is too. iPhone users have the misconception that they are invulnerable to attack. This is simply not true.
“Find and Call” an application that appeared in the iTunes marketplace in 2012 was a Trojan Horse. The program mined users’ address books and used that data to spam their friends.
It’s true that Android users must be especially vigilant, but the user ultimately makes almost all the difference in security.
Applications in Android
The Android operating system is designed to minimize the potential risk to the user. This means that an app developer doesn’t need to worry too much about complex security decisions to make the app compliant. One of the methods by which Android minimizes risk is through its usage of sandbox. The sandbox environment prevents one app from interacting with others, so a malicious application that ends up on your phone has minimal chance of infecting others.
An iOS application is not required to list permissions during installation, which is why you should review the iTunes store page thoroughly before downloading anything.
Viruses Do exist
Viruses exist for both the iOS and Android platforms. The bulk of smartphone users are using iOS, but those trends are changing as companies like Samsung create devices that are comparable to an iPhone. Mobile Android security will become a concern for users on that platform because it is more susceptible to attack.
Be Careful What You Download
One of the reasons that the Android is susceptible to attack is the open nature of its marketplace. All iOS applications must submit to scrutiny before they are allowed into Apple’s app marketplace. Android developers can create and post their applications to the marketplace at will. Because many browsers do not pay attention to the app developer name and permissions requested, the user may inadvertently grant permission to a malicious application.
Before you download something onto your device, carefully read the developer’s name and any reviews the application has gotten from the iTunes marketplace or Google Play store. You should be able to figure out potential issues with your device, see a list of recent changes and get some user feedback on the quality of the app.
Also, just because an app has five stars does not mean it is the highest quality available.
Browsing Safely
Like your computer’s web browser, you’ll need to exercise some safe browsing habits if you want to keep your device free from attack:
· Try browsing in incognito if you’re on public WiFi
· Force HTTPS connection for sites like Facebook and Google
· Always review the URL that you are visiting to be sure it’s the right one
· Be wary of browser messages that tell you that a virus is present on your phone
Much like applications, the downloads you make from your browser can affect your phone. Be careful to browse only sites you trust.
Restarting
If your Android has come under attack, or you’re experiencing a drop in performance, one of the best things you can do is attempt to restart your device. You will lose all applications and data that was installed on the phone, but it will save your device. Press the menu key for your phone then scroll down to “System Settings.” Once in the Settings menu, scroll until you find “Backup & Reset.” Tap on “Factory Data Reset” to start the process.
iOS devices can perform a full restore by connecting your device to your computer and clicking “Restore” from your device’s screen in iTunes.
Your phone is set to back up some of its data to your Google account, so sign in with your Google Account to see what you can recover after a shut down.
header image courtesy of Jim Bauer
