A computer virus is an infection that can spoil the life of any user. Ever since smartphones became computers, viruses have been threatening them too. The real boom in viruses happened when the smartphone became associated with money. Many paid services appeared in them, and users began to bind cards to them and turn on auto-top-up of the phone account. This has become a real freedom for those who want to make a lot of dishonest money. But not everything is so scary, and the virus itself will not get on your device. There are only a few directions from where it can appear and you just need to follow them a little more closely.
A virus on your phone can be more dangerous than it seems. Or it may not be.
What viruses are for the phone
Like an ordinary virus, a computer virus is a parasitic “life form”. Only the ordinary one works for the benefit of himself and his population, and the computer one – for the benefit of the one who created it.
In general, a virus is a malicious code that is embedded into an application or operating system and makes it work differently from the way it was originally intended. That is why viruses are divided into different types. Just according to the principle of how they work.
Most viruses last for “crafts” and “Trojans”. The former simply replace the application. It duplicates its icon and location. Sometimes even a splash screen and home screen. Everything so that the user does not guess until the last that the virus application is launching. You just need to run it and give it the rights to start working. Otherwise, the operating system, most likely, simply will not allow it to unfold.
Trojans are much more cunning. Their code is simply embedded in ordinary applications or operating systems and works with them, only periodically giving the command to send data somewhere to the side. As a result, fraudsters can gain access to very important data.
Our smartphone stores too much information. This is what scammers are interested in.
What a virus can do on a phone
Since every modern user's phone is associated with money, viruses can be quite dangerous. They can make calls, send SMS to paid numbers (and the operator will not be to blame when they charge you a round sum), activate expensive subscriptions, and the like. Also, viruses can simply steal data. For example, photos, notes, bank card details, or even an address book. In the latter case, it seems that it is not so scary, but this is one of the channels for replenishing the spammers database.
Viruses sometimes act more harmlessly. They just activate ads on your phone and you are constantly faced with annoying banners. However, some hackers go further and charge your device with viruses that can simply block it and prevent you from doing anything except entering the code. This code, of course, will have to be bought for several thousand rubles.
How the virus gets on the phone
The most important channel of virus infection is probably the APK. Not all applications can be downloaded from Google Play, so users often download and install these very files. It's easy to disguise a virus under them. Often, a link to such an APK file comes in an SMS mailing list, which at first glance seems useful. Of course, this does not mean that you cannot download the APK. You just have to be attentive to the source. For example, for a long time the game Fortnite could not be downloaded on Google Play and it was distributed that way. It is safe to take a link from the developer's site in this case.
Of course, Google Play is also full of viruses, despite the fact that censors try to check them as thoroughly as possible. But, as a rule, viruses on Google Play are not so scary and the risk of downloading them is not so great. Especially if you don't go beyond the applications most people use. Most often they appear in unknown games, sets of screensavers and applications that promise “adult content”. As for the latter, you also need to be careful with such sites. And in general, do not download everything from where without getting.
By downloading everything, you can download something bad.
Is a virus dangerous on a smartphone
Most often, the virus itself on a smartphone is safe, and in order for it to start working, it must not only be downloaded, but unpacked and installed. Only in this case will he be really dangerous. If you also run this “application”, giving it all the rights, including the rights to make phone calls and send SMS, then at this moment it may appear.
Should I use antivirus software for my phone?
People have been asking this question since the first viruses, if not the first computers. Everyone decides for himself. Personally, I think that antivirus software is unnecessary if you observe at least the minimum hygiene requirements.
If you are a novice user, then perhaps this makes sense, but you need to understand that the antivirus will take away system resources and reduce battery life. It is also unclear where the antivirus itself will send something. If you decide to install it, the main thing is to choose a solution from a renowned manufacturer and do not install more than one antivirus program.
How to understand that there is a virus on the phone
First of all, you will notice strange device behavior. It may start to slow down, heat up, or simply run less on battery power. Applications that require too many rights should also be prompted for thought. For example, if you downloaded a game, and it asks for permission to make phone calls and does not start, if you do not give it these permissions, this is a reason to think.
However, these are also not the most accurate signs, and sometimes even quite decent applications can behave this way. They can also ask for other permissions. For example, if someone wants to spy on you, they will ask for permission to use the camera. If he needs files, he will need access to the data store, and so on.
The main thing to understand is that the applications that you get through the mailing list or you download from an unknown site will almost certainly turn out to be viruses. And you also need to understand that it is very difficult to recognize a well-made virus. Therefore, you just do not need to download everything and give it extra rights.
What to do if your phone is blocked by a virus
First of all, you need to pull out the SIM card so that attackers cannot get access to paid services. It would also be nice to turn off Wi-Fi, if possible. If this is not possible, you just need to turn off the router until you figure out the problem. The main thing is to remember that you don't have to pay anything to anyone. Most likely, this will not help and no one will unlock the phone for you.
At some point, your smartphone may start working against you.
After disconnecting the connection, try restarting your phone in safe mode. If the banner disappears, then disable administrator rights for all applications and remove those that you did not install. After that, you can try to restart your phone normally and see what happens.
If this does not help, then all that remains is to reset the phone to factory settings. This should do the trick, but it will delete any data that hasn't been synced to the cloud or computer. Therefore, make backups and be vigilant. Then not a single infection will pass. And in everyday life, be more careful and wear masks in public places. Fighting viruses in everyday life and in a computer is very similar.