Five simple ways to avoid Android malware
Android has been around for a few years now and yet the topic of security continues to be the source of some argument. On the one hand you have the argument that Android is not susceptible to virus threats and, provided you are careful about what you download, there is no real need for antivirus software. On the other, you have reports and statistics claiming that malware is frighteningly common and any Android device without protection is sure to get infected.
So what about malware? Should we be worried? The key thing to remember about malware on Android is that you have to actually install it. Malware writers will use increasingly clever techniques to try and trick you into doing just that.
“If you only install software from trustworthy market places (like Google Play) and do not use your smartphone very often for web surfing or e-mailing, the OS is still pretty safe, .The majority of problems arise from the installation of ‘cracked’ applications from 3rd party market places which are often bundled with malicious software.”
Actually Google Play is the official store of applications for android which offers a variety of applications and games, also it is safe, but sometimes a creepy developer releases a malicious application in the store and it goes undetected. Since we find that the official store sometimes gets malware/virus, then imagine the situation of third-party websites. Thus I recommend only to use Google Play and have an anti-virus purchased/downloaded for your device.
malware refers to software programs designed to damage or do other unwanted actions on a computer system
Common examples of malware include viruses, worms, trojan horses, and spyware. Viruses, for example, can cause havoc on a computer's hard drive by deleting files or directory information. Spyware can gather data from a user's system without the user knowing it. This can include anything from the Web pages a user visits to personal information, such as credit card numbers,facebook account information,google account information.
1) Don't visit, and whatever you do download, materials from suspicious Web sites
The security company Blue Coat has found that pornography is a key threat vector. "In 2012, the most dangerous place for mobile users was pornography. More than 20 percent of the time that a user went to a malicious site, they were coming from a pornography site."
So, just avoid dodgy sites and you'll avoid a lot of malware. It's that's easy.
2) Don't download programs from third-party Android stores
Third-party marketplaces have become a favored distribution channel for malware writers.Third-party application stores are the leading source of the most common type of Android malware, fake Installers, which pose as legitimate applications."
Sure, if your carrier company or device vendor provides you with an app store, you can use it. Generally speaking, though, if you stay away from third-party Android stories and stick to the Google Play store, you'll be a lot safer.
3) Look carefully at any program before you install it to make sure it's legitimate and it only asks for necessary permissions.
You should be wary of unknown programs even on the Google Play store. True, Google has made big strides forward in keeping malware out of the Google Play store with its Bouncer program, which detects developer-uploaded malware, but there's still bad programs within its virtual walls as well. A recent fake BlackBerry Messenger Android app made it to Google Play and was pulled only after 100,000 people downloaded it.
So even on Google Play, look carefully at each application before you install it. Are many people using it? Does it have good reviews? Is it really from who it says it is? The Blackberry malware.
You should also check the permissions of any program that you install. Why should a game, for example, need to send a text?
If you're not sure what's what with permissions, look on the Google Play site to see what the developer has to say about his or her app's permissions. It he or she doesn't have anything to say, stay away.
4) Upgrade, if possible, to the latest version of Android.
Another way to improve your safety is to upgrade your phone or tablet to Android 4.2, Jelly Bean. According to Juniper, 77 percent of Android malware makes its owner money by sending premium SMS messages. With 4.2, Android notifies you if an application attempts to send SMS to premium testing services with additional charges. You can then decide if you want to allow the application to send the message or to block it.
5) Use A/V software.
Finally, while Android anti-virus (A/V) software is not a cure-all, with so much malware out there you should no more run an Android device without A/V protection these days than you would run a Windows PC without A/V protection.
If you've been using Android for a while, you might think that A/V software is useless. True, there was a time when most popular A/V software was junk. Things have changed.
So what about malware? Should we be worried? The key thing to remember about malware on Android is that you have to actually install it. Malware writers will use increasingly clever techniques to try and trick you into doing just that.
“If you only install software from trustworthy market places (like Google Play) and do not use your smartphone very often for web surfing or e-mailing, the OS is still pretty safe, .The majority of problems arise from the installation of ‘cracked’ applications from 3rd party market places which are often bundled with malicious software.”
Actually Google Play is the official store of applications for android which offers a variety of applications and games, also it is safe, but sometimes a creepy developer releases a malicious application in the store and it goes undetected. Since we find that the official store sometimes gets malware/virus, then imagine the situation of third-party websites. Thus I recommend only to use Google Play and have an anti-virus purchased/downloaded for your device.
malware refers to software programs designed to damage or do other unwanted actions on a computer system
Common examples of malware include viruses, worms, trojan horses, and spyware. Viruses, for example, can cause havoc on a computer's hard drive by deleting files or directory information. Spyware can gather data from a user's system without the user knowing it. This can include anything from the Web pages a user visits to personal information, such as credit card numbers,facebook account information,google account information.
1) Don't visit, and whatever you do download, materials from suspicious Web sites
The security company Blue Coat has found that pornography is a key threat vector. "In 2012, the most dangerous place for mobile users was pornography. More than 20 percent of the time that a user went to a malicious site, they were coming from a pornography site."
So, just avoid dodgy sites and you'll avoid a lot of malware. It's that's easy.
2) Don't download programs from third-party Android stores
Third-party marketplaces have become a favored distribution channel for malware writers.Third-party application stores are the leading source of the most common type of Android malware, fake Installers, which pose as legitimate applications."
Sure, if your carrier company or device vendor provides you with an app store, you can use it. Generally speaking, though, if you stay away from third-party Android stories and stick to the Google Play store, you'll be a lot safer.
3) Look carefully at any program before you install it to make sure it's legitimate and it only asks for necessary permissions.
You should be wary of unknown programs even on the Google Play store. True, Google has made big strides forward in keeping malware out of the Google Play store with its Bouncer program, which detects developer-uploaded malware, but there's still bad programs within its virtual walls as well. A recent fake BlackBerry Messenger Android app made it to Google Play and was pulled only after 100,000 people downloaded it.
So even on Google Play, look carefully at each application before you install it. Are many people using it? Does it have good reviews? Is it really from who it says it is? The Blackberry malware.
You should also check the permissions of any program that you install. Why should a game, for example, need to send a text?
If you're not sure what's what with permissions, look on the Google Play site to see what the developer has to say about his or her app's permissions. It he or she doesn't have anything to say, stay away.
4) Upgrade, if possible, to the latest version of Android.
Another way to improve your safety is to upgrade your phone or tablet to Android 4.2, Jelly Bean. According to Juniper, 77 percent of Android malware makes its owner money by sending premium SMS messages. With 4.2, Android notifies you if an application attempts to send SMS to premium testing services with additional charges. You can then decide if you want to allow the application to send the message or to block it.
5) Use A/V software.
Finally, while Android anti-virus (A/V) software is not a cure-all, with so much malware out there you should no more run an Android device without A/V protection these days than you would run a Windows PC without A/V protection.
If you've been using Android for a while, you might think that A/V software is useless. True, there was a time when most popular A/V software was junk. Things have changed.