We’ve seen a huge increase in Android and mobile malware over the past few years. Here are 5 reasons you need to protect your phone or tablet, just like you would your home computer.
1. A big target
Smartphones have become an integral part of many people’s lives, but modern smartphones are so much more than just phones.
We store a great deal of personal information on them, we shop on them, we may even bank on them. This makes them a big target for cyber criminals; particularly as most don’t see their phone as vulnerable to attack.
There are a multitude of other reasons that phones are being targeted, some of which are covered here.
2. Ransomware is on the rise
You’ve probably heard about ransomware in the context of Windows PC’s or even Apple Macs but you may not have heard about Android and iOS based ransomware.
ESET LiveGrid, has detected a sharp rise in ransomware targeting Android users since 2014. The stats are frightening, but not half as frightening as someone trying to force you to pay to unencrypt your phone.
3. Updates might not come out immediately
The big advantage of Android is that, as an open source operating system, phone manufacturers can customise it and develop a distinct look.
The problem with this is that it might take the manufacturer longer to release an important security update as they have to adapt it to their custom version of Android.
This means that you might have to wait a few extra days, or even weeks, to get that update: it might not sound like a long time, but every minute matters when it comes to malware.
4. It’s not just about you
As we mentioned in number one, your phone is a data rich device making it a very juicy target. However, it’s not just your data you have to worry about.
You’ve almost certainly got a contact list, some text messages, some emails and maybe even your social media accounts on your phone. So it’s not just your data, it’s the data of your friends, family and anyone you’ve had any contact with.
5. An ocean of apps
There are a multitude of apps out there. For example, there are dozens of weather apps on Google Play offering essentially the same service. Don’t get us wrong, variety is great but sometimes variety leads to dodgy duplicates.
Take Pokemon Go for example, there was so much hype surrounding the game that some clever crims took advantage by creating very similar looking clones to mask some nasty malware.
Whenever you’re looking for an app it’s important to look at the reviews, who the publisher is and get some award-winning antivirus to make doubly sure.
You can find out more about ESET Mobile Security for Android here.
Do you protect your phone? Let us know on Twitter @ESETUK
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