Bad device performance, the battery drains faster and the data consumption is higher? The assumption: your smartphone has been infected
The experts at Check Point have identified
five symptoms that you can use to identify whether cybercriminals have tampered
with your smartphone. The security researchers know: Once the smartphone
is infected, personal data is very quickly at risk.
Mobile malware such as
Hiddad, xHelper, and Triada are becoming increasingly dubious. All three
were on the Top Malware Index in January
2021 and are often used to steal sensitive data from users. In
2020, Check Point's threat data showed that 46 percent of organizations
worldwide had at least one employee downloaded a malicious smartphone
application.
“Mobile devices are very
susceptible to attacks because they are usually inadequately, or not at all,
protected by security solutions. However, it is important to take measures
to protect them - against any form of attack - as it has become common practice
to save personal and business information on smartphones, tablets, or laptops -
often at the same time, "explains Christine Schönig, Regional Director
Security Engineering CER, Office of the CTO, at Check Point.
As early as 2020, Check Point
published important studies that documented the discovery of
numerous malicious programs posing as legitimate COVID-19 apps. All of
them contained a range of malware designed to steal users' personal information
or covertly generate fraudulent revenue from premium services - at the expense
of the phone bill. For users to be able to better recognize
whether the mobile device is infected, the following symptoms should be
observed:
1) Performance in Operation:
A significant decrease in
performance can be attributed to malware infection. Apps can even shut
down automatically or important functions, such as the flashlight, no longer
work. If the performance degradation occurs after installing a new
application, malware is likely to be the cause.
2) Reduced Battery Life:
If the phone's battery
suddenly barely holds its charge or if it discharges in a shorter time than
usual, this could indicate malware. It is a good idea to examine the
battery settings to see if an application is consuming a lot of power.
3) Increased Data Consumption:
A sharp and inexplicable
increase in mobile data consumption is another warning sign of the presence of
malware. Malicious apps often consume large amounts of data because they
exchange information with a third party or run paid advertising in the
background. Users should regularly check the list of apps installed on a
device and uninstall any that are unknown to them and do not belong to the
system.
4) Advertising in The Notifications:
The appearance of
advertisements in the notifications at the top of the screen is a clear
indicator. This type of malware is known as mobile adware and it displays
unwanted advertisements on the phone's home screen. Once it runs, the
malware hides its application icon to prevent it from being removed. At
the same time, it starts to distribute advertisements on the screen -
regardless of whether the user is using the wrong app or not.
5) Unknown Phone Numbers in The Call
List:
Another warning sign is that unknown numbers appear in the cell phone's call history, mostly foreign numbers. Also, the phone can even start sending SMS messages to unknown numbers or calling such contacts automatically. Not only does this put a financial burden on the user, but it is a way for hackers to spread malware and phishing links. If this indicator appears, only a complete check of the device will help.,
Protegent antivirus is a suitable security solution that protects against even the most advanced attacks.
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