Android Users Should Do This

On By John GrubbIn Android, Android, Apps, Chromebook, Google Play Store, Malware, Security, Smart phones, Tablets, Viruses/Malware
Chromebook, Android tablet and phone - Android users should do this!

Seriously, Android users should do this: make sure anti-virus/anti-malware is installed.

Why It’s Important

If you use an Android tablet or smartphone, you need to make sure you have software installed to protect your device. Last week, it was reported that over 300,000 Android devices were infected. A fake banking app was the cause of all the chaos. Fortunately, the app has now been removed from the Google Play Store. Unfortunately, for some Android users, it was too little too late.

What The Fake Apps Can Do

Most of the 300,000 infections were a malware called Anatsa. Among other things, this malware can: steal credentials; capture and log everything shown on the user’s screen; and install a keylogger. (You may recall that keylogging software can capture every keystroke on a computing device and send the log file to a hacker. You can read more about keyloggers in my post “Key Largo?“

Android Users Should Do This

Although Google has done a lot to tighten up the security of apps that enter the Google Play Store, depending on Google isn’t enough. You need extra software to protect your Android device from viruses and malware.

What should you do? You want to go to the Google Play Store and search “antivirus.” When you do, you’ll see software from AVG, Kaspersky, Norton’s, Malwarebytes and many more. I use Malwarebytes on my Android phone. There’s a free version but I use the Premium upgrade. It gives better protection and costs less than $12 a year.

What Else Can You Do?

Whether you own an Android smart phone, tablet and/or Chromebook, there are other things you can do in addition to installing anti-virus/anti-malware. Here are a few steps you can take to keep safe on your Android device:

  • If your anti-virus/anti-malware software warns you to not go to a site or to not download something, heed the alert and don’t do it!
  • Don’t allow strangers access to your devices.
  • Don’t respond to Facebook Messenger or other text messages which ask you to “click here” or “sign in to see this.”
  • Make sure you have a password or PIN assigned to your device.
  • Don’t install more than one anti-virus program on your computing equipment.
  • When it comes to smart phones, remember this: your smart phone is a computer that happens to make phone calls. You should treat its security with that in mind.