Last updated: July 3, 2022
Phones are now part of our daily lives. These devices are used everywhere, for everything, and by everyone. Despite the many benefits they bring to our way of life, these devices definitely have vulnerabilities. Thus cybercriminals exploit it and generate large sums of money.
So securing your phone from these vulnerabilities probably means protect your privacy.
In this article we will show you step by step how to detect a virus on android, how to get rid of it once infected and how to protect yourself effectively..
1) Do I have a virus in my phone?
Android viruses are difficult for the average user to detect, as hackers learn to conceal their activity. Fortunately, there are a few tricks that can alert you to a possible Android infection.
1.1) Abnormally high Internet consumption
Some Android viruses increase Internet data consumption by forcing your phone to repeatedly connect to a website, click on an advertisement, download large files, or send messages.
To check the internet usage of your phone, I advise you to download the My Data manger app. After 24 hours, launch the application, choose Application and scroll down to identify the applications that consume the most and that you never use.
If, for example, you see abnormal data consumption by Google play or another unknown application, then know that you are infected.
1.2) Presence of unwanted applications
Some Android viruses download apps from Google Play without your knowledge. You should therefore be wary if unusual applications appear on your Smartphone.
For that, go to Settings -> Applications and scroll down to identify all those mysterious apps that installed themselves. Select one by one and have it uninstall.
1.3) Unwanted advertisements
If pop-ups and other types of pop-ups that exceed the normal behavior of an app could indicate that an Android virus has probably installed on your Smartphone.
1.4) Abnormally high invoices
Some Android virus automatically send SMS to premium rate numbers and this has a direct impact on the amount of your bill. Some Android Viruses send messages sporadically, for example once a month, so as not to arouse your suspicion.
A thorough reading of your invoice can help you detect an Android virus.
2) How to get rid of an Android virus
In the event of an infection, the first thing to do to eliminate these Android viruses is to download and install Lookout antivirus from Google Play.
Launch the app and start by entering your Gmail address and password. Once registered. The app will launch a full scan of your Android device.
Notifications appear when an Android virus is detected. Lookout offers to remove it by pressing the Uninstall / Uninstall button.
To replay a full scan, press Safety
in the home menu then on the button Scan now. At the end, you will get a detailed report.
3) How to protect your Android phone
When any of these symptoms appear, the damage is already done. It is therefore better to take some precautions now:
- Do not “root” your phone.
- Encrypt your smartphone data.
- Pay close attention to the permissions requested when installing an application.
- Only download applications from the official store (Google Play).
- Avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi networks.
- Turn off Bluetooth when you don't need it.
- Keep your Android system and apps up to date.
- Stay vigilant and cautious on the net with warez sites, pornographic sites and peer to peer.
Finally, here are the steps to follow if you have an iPhone or iPad and you want to know if it is hacked: how to know if your iphone is hacked.