Signs that your Smartphone has a Virus and what you can do about it

Apparently, because a lot of individuals now make use of their mobile devices for all their activities like online payment, malware writers have moved on to mobile devices, using malicious apps for identity theft in the same way computer viruses steal vital information.

A lot of people freely give permission to mobile apps on their mobile devices without considering that the app might be malicious. In this article, we will discuss a few signs that lets you know your mobile device might have a virus installed.

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Your battery runs down quickly

Normally, a mobile device battery will get drains quickly if a program on your device is making use of data connection. Continuous data usage will see your battery get drain in no time. Viruses are designed to steal information from your device and send it back to the hacker, this information can only be sent when there is data connection. A virus present in your device will continuously search for data connection to sent information to the hacker.

If you notice a sharp battery drain on your device, it could be as a result of an unknown program running in your background. You should also note that you must consider other symptoms before concluding because other programs also drain the battery.

Mobile apps run slowly

One sign that a computer system is affected by a virus is that the virus starts when you boot the computer, making it slow. There is no much of a difference for a mobile device. Unless the virus is written well by the hacker, most viruses will slow down apps and the operating system of the device.

If you notice that some of your important apps (banking app) have become suddenly slow after you installed a third-party app, the third-party app might be interfering.

Random push notifications and Malfunctioning apps

While some push notifications are legitimate, some are designed by malicious app developers. You’ll see these notifications come like normal desktop popups. If you see unwanted notifications pop up on your desktop or on your mobile device, it could be from mobile malware.

Also, when viruses try to steal information from other legitimate programs from your mobile device, they interfere with the functionality of those programs – making them function slowly, differently or even crash.

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How to remove malicious mobile apps

Most malicious app writers distribute their software on third-party websites. If you didn’t download the app from a trusted source like the Google play store, you should consider deleting it. Reliable app stores like Google play and apple stores remove suspicious apps from their stores.

Read more on how to protect your device from keylogger attacks

How to protect your device from malware

You should consider downloading an antivirus for your device. McAfee, Norton’s and AVG also offer paid antivirus apps you can download. Avast and Comodo are the two popular free antivirus programs on the market. After installing your preferred antivirus, make sure it is always enabled and updated when necessary.

Read more on how to keep your Android device safe

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