Mobile phones have completely taken over every facet of our daily lives and there is no time when we do not need our smartphone to perform a specific task, whether it is to try to communicate, access the Internet or check our social networks. In this area, Android is the operating system that is integrated into most mobile phones on the market and cybercriminals know this. So, we are going to explain how to examine your Android to detect suspicious applications.
The countless episodes of cyber threats do not cease and today we must be cautious enough to avoid falling into the hands of individuals whose aim is to steal our bank account data. Therefore, there are different ways to avoid these misdeeds and detect which are the most used mechanisms to deceive us. And one of them is the applications that we download and install.
Google is one of the most active multinationals in dealing with cybercrime and protecting the privacy of its users at all costs. That is why it has several tools that are essential to identify malicious applications that you can obtain from the official Google Play Store itself, without having to install third-party programs.
How do hackers steal your data?
You may not have realized it, but cybercriminals are targeting platforms that have a large number of users. This is the case with Android, which currently powers 80% of all mobile phones on the planet.
That is why we need to increase our security in case of any fraudulent situation that may occur. And how do criminals act to try to trick you and steal privileged information? As easy as introducing a Trojan or malware into an application and depositing it in official online stores or third-party repositories.
You might also wonder if Google is not responsible for blocking these types of cyberthreats. And the answer is that no app verification department is perfect, but the good thing is that these types of dubious applications do not usually last long in stores as frequented as the Play Store.
How to prevent malicious apps on my Android?
Luckily, you should know that your Android phone has a system to detect illicit applications that can attack your personal information, making it vulnerable. And it is possible that at some point you will find something that you should be wary of, so we are going to describe some very simple steps so that you can analyze your Android regularly.
First, you need a Google account linked to your Android phone. The next step is to open the Google Play Store and tap on your profile icon located at the top right of the screen. Next, select Play Protect from the pop-up window and then tap Scan. The scan will take a few seconds to complete.
Before you click Scan, you will probably see the message “No harmful applications found” and the last time the scan was performed automatically. But if you want, you can do it manually in the way we have described to help you out.
The moment Play Protect finds something it thinks is malicious, it will disable and remove it. While it is unlikely that you will encounter a harmful app, you can always check it by going through this process and strengthening your security.
