6 Signs Cybercriminals Infected Your Phone and How to Fix It

 

Unless you're one of those rare people who avoid using a cell phone, you're walking around with a ticking cyber bomb in your pocket.

Smartphone malware is an ever-growing threat. More than 5 billion people use mobile phones worldwide. More than 90% of them rely on smart- or internet-enabled phones with an average of 40 installed apps per phone.

By the end of this year, more than 200 billion apps will have been downloaded from virtual app stores. Therein lies the danger.

Official Apple and Google-controlled software stores are vigilant in removing unsafe apps. But many cell phone users rely on rogue and third-party download repositories that are loaded with infectious malware.

The threat doesn't end at app stores. Cybercriminals have a toolbox full of ways to slip malicious mobile malware onto your phone. All you have to do is visit the wrong website, click on a link embedded in an email or text message, or open an attached document to activate the cybert rap.

Know the Risks

Mobile malware is a growing cybersecurity concern. This can result in the theft and subsequent sale of your private data.

Adware now accounts for 42% of new mobile malware worldwide. Banking malware threats, especially on Android devices, have increased by 80%.

According to the latest reports on enterprise security, having most free or even paid antivirus apps on your phone does little to detect or prevent sophisticated cyber attacks. About half of free Android antivirus programs don't detect malware effectively.

iPhone security isn't impenetrable either. While Android malware is far more common than iOS infections, cybercriminals are getting better access to iPhones. Both platforms are susceptible to malware that opens backdoors into phones through text messaging and other shared file exchanges.

Cybercriminals want your data. Most mobile malware is designed to peek into your digital data to steal your various usernames and passwords. This gets them into your bank accounts.

But cyber thieves don't stop there. They also have invasive software that allows them to listen to your audio and video and track your locations.

What to do

Start by eliminating some of the kinks in the way you use your smartphone. You want to make it more difficult for cybercriminals to take advantage of you. A good starting point is reviewing your installed apps.

Android phones

Go to the Settings panel and open the Permissions section. Its exact location will vary based on the Android version installed and whichever user interface (UI) the phone manufacturer uses.

Generally, you can go to Settings > Apps > See all Apps. Then tap an app name and scroll down the list to tap Permissions

Check each app for permissions granted by default. Remove all but what the app needs. The question is why access to cameras, microphones, documents and photos is necessary. These are the ways app developers collect your data to monetize the software.

Make sure to toggle on the option to remove permissions and free up space for unused apps. Even better, long-press on an app name to uninstall apps you don't use.

iPhones

Go to Settings > Apple ID > Password & Security

Work through the menu items to set your preferred options. Pay particular attention to apps that use an Apple ID. This is where you can find third-party apps linked to your accounts, such as fitness or email apps.

Keep this list short. Be sure to remove apps you no longer use by touching the edit button and the red "delete" icon.

Found malware?

Be suspicious of your phone at the first sign of strange behavior. Both Android and Apple smartphone platforms offer the same set of common symptoms to indicate that malware is running inside your device.

It helps if you know the recent apps you've installed and the documents or text links you've opened. This knowledge can help you troubleshoot a potential malware problem.

If your phone has one or more of these six symptoms, it could be caused by malware:

1. Unusual messages and pop-ups

Inappropriate messages or unwanted ad pop-ups are definitely signs of mobile malware or spyware.

2. Titles in your app drawer or library that you don't recognize

Search the internet for the title. It can tell if the app is secure. Delete all unknown app titles.

3. Slow performance

This may mean that you are almost maxed out on your available RAM (Random Access Memory). Remove unused apps and restart your phone. If slowness persists, suspect malware.

4. High internet usage and/or increased battery consumption

These two symptoms often go hand in hand when malware is running on a device. See below how to perform a system reset to clear your memory and storage, remove malware as well.

5. Unusual noise or static on your phone connection

This is a clear sign that a surveillance app is spying on your phone conversations.

6. Strange voicemail messages or text messages

Access to your phone has been compromised.

Clean the Malware

Resetting or restoring your smartphone is the most effective remedy to remove suspected malware. Before you waste time and money buying and downloading so-called mobile security solutions. Like most battery savers and memory clearing apps, they're pretty useless.

You will need to reset your phone after these steps are completed.

Follow these steps to reset your Android smartphone

Make sure your data is backed up to Google Drive or a comparable solution (see below). Backing up to Google Drive isn't a requirement, but it's an easy way to proceed. You need to at least back up your personal data. Otherwise, a copy of your data that was on the device before the reset will no longer exist.

• Open Settings and select SystemSelect Reset optionsSelect Erase all data (factory reset)
• Select Reset Phone at the bottom
• Select Erase Everything when prompted to confirm you want to perform a factory reset
• Download and install your apps again from Google Play

Follow these steps to reset your iPhone

Back up your data using iCloud or one of the other solutions below. However, make sure that your stored iCloud data is not affected.

• Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone
• Tap “Erase All Content and Settings” to clear all apps and data — again, make sure you’ve backed up your data either to iCloud or a local drive
• Restart your iPhone and set it up again
• Download and install your apps again from the App Store

We cannot stress enough the importance of making a backup copy of your data

You will not have access to the data that was on your device before the reset. So please understand that backing up your data is the only protection against data loss.

Alternative backup locations not mentioned above are Microsoft's OneDrive or another cloud storage service you use, an XD card in the device, your local computer, or external media such as a USB drive.