What Is Malware?
The word malware is got from two words, being “malicious software”, which in a way makes what it is less scary. These software programs are designed to attack systems, servers or networks for the sole purpose of causing damage. Designed to come in rather subtle looks, they trick unsuspecting users into activating them. Yes, there can be malicious software programs or malware on your smartphone and the effects of this software can be very catastrophic. There are lots of malware out there and each has a specific purpose of a specific area of a system, network or server they attack. For this article, we will look into malware that is common to smartphones.
Rooting: This malware roots your device hence unlocking the operating system giving it access to manipulate the device.Adware: This simply supplies your smartphone with random ads in form of pop-ups aimed at redirecting users to an attached link (website) which holds malicious content.Ransomware: This malware aims to demand money for the device owner as payment or a Ransom for certain important files held hostage.SMS malware: This malware intercepts SMS messages resulting in outrageous charges without the knowledge of the device owner.Trojan malware: Trojan malware conceals itself as a harmless file or software existing on the device.Spyware: This monitors and records activities on a device without the knowledge and permission of the device owner.Worms: These are malware that copy itself onto other computers. There can be transferred through vulnerability in software, corrupted emails and attachments.Virus: This is a malicious software that replicates itself into other programs in a computer, hence altering how the computer works.
These are just a few of the malware that is common to smartphones, and they affect the device in very different ways. Despite the different ways this various malware might attack, they all have a singular aim, which is to cause harm to the host smartphone or owner. We need to be on guard against any form of malware to protect information stored on our smartphones.
How To Tell If Your Phone Has Malware
To ensure that your phone is malware-free, you certainly need to keep your eyes out for these malicious software programs. But what signs point to the presence of malware on your device? Let us take a look at a few signs to tell if your phone has malware: The Appearance Of An Unknown Application: This is one of the most obvious ways to tell if your phone has malware! As a smartphone user, you should be able to tell the applications that you have on your smartphone, one that came pre-installed and others that you installed for your usage. So, the moment you come across an application that certainly did not come pre-installed on your device, and you did not install it by yourself, you should know that you have malware residing in your smartphone. Most of the time, this unknown application is a Trojan horse. Your Phone Gets Too Slow And Starts Lagging: If you begin to notice any unusual slow performance of your device, then that might be a red flag and a sign that your phone has malware. Your phone might get slow if you are overstressing its processor and have too many apps open at the same time. But if this is not the case and your phone is just unnecessarily slow, then you have malicious software on your device. Constant Pop-up Ads: Like we pointed out earlier in the article, Adware is designed to keep throwing unnecessary ads your way, these ads are designed to prompt a user to click on the redirecting link. So if you are getting constant annoying ads now, and then it might be time to check if your device is virus-free. These are just some signs to tell if your phone has malware there are a lot of other signs out there, but to be on the safe side, it is wise to run a virus scan on your device from time to time. To do this, we recommend a few antivirus applications for Android and iOS here:
AVG Antivirus (Android and iOS)Norton 360 (Android and iOS)
If you just want to get rid of the malware completely, then you can try resetting your device, but bear in mind that doing this erases any saved data that you have on your device. In order not to get to the point where resetting your device is the only option, keep an eye out for malware. Do not download applications from unknown sources, do not click on just any link from an email from an unknown source or a pop-up ad.
