I don’t exaggerate when I say that we can’t live without our mobile phones or mobiles. Everyone agrees that we store our entire lives on our mobiles these days. This includes pictures, important emails and contacts as well as documents and bank details. Imagine all the sensitive information stored on your mobile device falling into the wrong hands. This can cause serious damage. With that in mind, we’ll be discussing malware, the different types of Android malware and analysis tools as well as how to protect your Android device from it. Let’s get started! !
What is malware?
Malware is software that causes disruption to a server or client computer, server, or private network. An attacker can gain unauthorized access to your devices by sending malware. Malware also leaks your confidential data. Trojans, viruses and worms, spyware and adware are all examples of malware.
Cybercriminals use malware for many purposes, including:
Stealing the credit card information of the target or any other financial information/ credential
Ransom demands and locking of important files
Inducing the target to give personal information for identity theft
Recent malware attacks have seen a significant increase. It is important to make sure your mobile device is not infected with any malicious apps.
To check for malicious apps on your Android smartphone, you will need to follow these steps:
Open the Play Store app on your mobile.
Click on the menu button. It will either display your email display photo or three dots.
You will see an option called “play Protect.” Click it.
After you tap on the play protection option, you’ll find “scan”.
Click on this button to scan your phone. If your phone is detected with malware, uninstall them immediately and reboot the device.
Types of Android malware
Let’s look at five Android malware threats that you need to be aware.
Adware: Adware programs appear to be legitimate and real applications. They start showing different ads such as pop-ups and video ads. Some adware redirects users to other pages with lots of ads. This adware can track your sensitive information and act as spyware.
Trojans and Worms. Trojans or worms can spread via SMS and MMS, and they use the sync applications to infect other devices that are connected to the infected device. These Trojans and Worms can slow down your device and even cause it to crash.
Spyware: Spyware looks a lot like adware. Spyware programs pretend to be legitimate. Once the application is installed, the spyware sends sensitive information to the owner or attacker. Spyware can track your phone number and Android version, IMSI and IMEI as well as financial information. Spyware can also track the history of your browsing habits.
Phishing apps: These apps are just like phishing sites. The app steals the user’s credentials and presents itself as one of the most popular and legitimate apps. These apps can also steal your bank and credit card information.
Expander: These apps use WAP billing. These apps automatically purchase a fake product that has been listed on the WAP by hackers. This is how hackers make money. These applications may also charge you for SMS and calls to premium number.
Different Android analysis tools
Dexter: Dexter can be used to find and remove defects in code and improve its quality without the need for third-party reviews. Dexter also supports the storage of analysis results on its server, allowing users to create their own checkers.
APKInspector is an open-source tool that allows you to analyze and reverse Android applications. This tool allows you to create reports about permissions used in the a