During the first few months of 2022, mobile malware attacks increased by 500%, with one of the main reasons being because many people aren’t protecting their smartphones.
Experts at IT support specialists CloudTech24 have revealed the best ways you can go about protecting your mobile device from malware effectively.
1. Use mobile anti-malware
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Your mobile phone needs anti-virus and anti-malware software too! Malware can infect smartphones and tablets easily so it’s important to have a reliable anti-malware app installed to your device.
2. Don’t download apps from unknown sources
Only download mobile apps from trusted sources. Do not download outside a main app store. Trusted app stores include places like:
- Apple App Store
- Google Play
- The Microsoft Store
- Amazon Appstore
You also should research the app developer online. Make sure they have a good reputation. Once you download a dangerous app to your phone, it can infect it with malware. That malware can remain behind even if you delete the app later.
3. Be wary of SMS phishing, AKA “smishing”
Spam texts are extremely common nowadays, with the text equivalent of phishing being known as “smishing”.
Through malicious links in text messages, hackers may ask you to message back to capture personal information, and/or try to gain access to your device.
Beware of text messages from unknown sources and be on the lookout for texts that don’t make sense. A common text spam is getting a shipping notification when you haven’t ordered anything.
4. Remove old apps you don’t use
Apps these days are often abandoned by the developer, and there are around 2.6 million apps that haven’t received an update in a year or more. Having these old apps on your phone can leave security vulnerabilities which can be exploited by hackers, so it’s important to address them.
Look through your device for any older apps you aren’t using, and if there’s no reason to keep them around, they can leave your device at risk.
Also, look at the time of the last update, and if it’s over a year, consider replacing it with an app that’s more current and updated more frequently.
5. Keep your device updated
In addition to keeping your apps updated, it’s important to keep your device updated too. Not updating to the latest version of your device’s operating system can also leave your phone with security vulnerabilities, allowing hackers to breach your data. Turn on automatic updates if possible!
