HOW MOBILE APPS STEAL MONEY FROM YOUR SMARTPHONES
Once you download the game to your smartphone, you can be left without money and even without the smartphone itself. How this happens and how to protect yourself from it, we will discuss today in our article.
In today's review, we will talk about smartphones running on the Android operating system.
The relevance of this article is due to the fact that users of the Android operating system (OS) have the opportunity to install applications and games not only from official stores (Play Market, Google Play, AppGallery, Samsung Galaxy Store and others), but also from other sources, which is not safe and carries various threats. Therefore, downloading and installing files and games from various unknown sources is highly discouraged.
Installation from unofficial and unverified sources may entail the installation of various malicious software that carries the risks of leakage of your personal data, access to your Internet banking applications, reading SMS messages, as well as your smartphone may become part of botnets and be used by hackers to carry out various cyber attacks, spam mailings, unauthorized calls and others.
So how do you protect yourself from this kind of cyberattack?
1.Disable installations from unknown sources.
To protect against accidental installation, make sure that the ability to install applications from unknown sources is disabled. As a rule, it is disabled by default, but it is better to check.
In Android version 4.0 and above, you need to go to the Security Settings section and make sure that Unknown Sources are disabled.
In previous versions of Android, click Settings – Application Settings and see if there is a check mark on the Unknown sources item.
! An important alarm signal may also be an application request for administrator rights. Thus, the owner of the application will have the right to remote access to your smartphone, which carries the above risks.
2. Install the antivirus application.
A good antivirus is able to protect your smartphone from ransomware and other cyber threats that can be hidden not only on websites, but also applications downloaded from various sources. If you accidentally click a suspicious link, download a fake app, or try to install a fraudulent add-on, the antivirus application will quarantine the virus and prevent infection of the smartphone.
! Antivirus protection is available not only for personal computers.
3. Update the operating system regularly.
Install all Android OS updates, as many of them are related to security. Of course, updates for Android smartphones are known for the fact that they often take too long to come out, so you can't rely on them alone for your security, so it's better to install an antivirus anyway.
4. Make backups of all important files that are stored on your smartphone.
Backups can be stored in the cloud, on an external hard drive, or using a third-party service.
To start the backup, follow these steps:
• In the Operating System Settings section, find the Google section.
• Next, go to the Backup section. Here you will see the Start Copying button. Below it is a list of data that will be saved to your account. These include call logs, messages, contacts, Android settings, photos and videos, as well as application data that confirms this feature.
• Click on the Start Copying button and wait for the process to finish.
Thus, you can periodically make a backup copy of your smartphone's data.
5. Be extremely careful with pop-ups.
When visiting a website or playing an online game and receiving a pop-up request to update or install an add–on, the best thing you can do is close the pop-up window.
! To protect against various pop-ups, we recommend using AdBlock-type add-ons in your browser.
6. Think twice before clicking on the link.
Phishing is still the most popular way to distribute malware and collect personal data. The number of cases of phishing attacks targeting smartphones, social networks and messengers is inexorably growing. Do not click on links that you receive in a message or email from an unknown source. Even if the source is familiar, carefully examine the sender's address and the source of the link before proceeding. If anything is in doubt, refrain from any action.
7. Use secure DNS.
Secure DNS is a free content filtering service that restricts access to malicious sites, as well as resources that are undesirable for viewing. Allows the owner to protect either all home smartphones, or choose filtering for them individually through easy-to-understand ready-made profiles. If the site is included in the Secure DNS database, the user will see a message about it.
This service is similar to the "Parental Control" service, but unlike many others it is absolutely free. Any user can connect this service, since the connection does not require special special knowledge in the field of IT.
Connecting the service for Android smartphones is possible both on a specific smartphone and using a Wi-Fi network.
To set up on your smartphone, you need to do the following: Select your Wi-Fi access point from the list of available networks => click on the Settings button => select Advanced => in the IP Settings section, change this item from DHCP to Static => enter 91.214.42.211 as DNS1 => alternative 91.214.42.212 DNS2.
Of course, it will be somewhat more convenient to configure the Wi-Fi network access point at once than each smartphone. To do this, it is enough to specify 91.214.42.211 as the preferred DNS server in the DHCP settings on the Wi-Fi access point, as well as 91.214.42.212 as an alternative. Thus, the accepted DNS settings will be automatically accepted for smartphones connected to this Wi-Fi.
The growing number of malware targeting Android poses a serious threat. But isn't it nice to know that you have the opportunity to ensure that this threat will never become a reality for your smartphone? You just need to follow the rules of cyber hygiene and install applications from trusted sources.
Protect your data and money on your smartphone using our recommendations!
