In 2016 and 2017, the hummingbird mobile phone virus became very popular with more than 85 million devices said to be affected by the virus globally. The surprising thing is that it is not the only virus that affects mobile phones.
Just as there are computer viruses, so also are there phone virus even though they are much less popular. Because of that, they can sometimes be as dangerous as some computer virus and even more dangerous than some others.
Because of that, there are many mobile phone antiviruses that have been created by different security companies to take care of your devices. But then, there are many things that people need to know about such viruses including how to be protected from them.
Mobile Phone Virus Facts You Should Know
1. Phones that can get infected
You have been made to believe that only android phones can get virus infection. That is completely not true. This is the truth. Even though Android phones are the ones that are most prone to getting infected, Windows phones are not saved, neither are iPhones immune to the virus.
In 2014, it was reported that of all the malware attacks, Android accounts for as much as 97% while the rest was shared between the remaining others.
2. Android get more infections than any other thing
In 2016, it was indicated that of all infections, Android devices have as much as 74 percent while iPhones take 4%, leaving Windows phones unaccounted for as a result of their low infection rate and the fact that they only control a very little part of the market.
Phones connected to personal computers and laptops via hotspots are the ones accounting for the remaining 22 percent.
3. Highest mobile virus attacks
Among the countries with the highest mobile malware, China tops, followed by Bangladesh, Nepal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Algeria. Other countries that join among the top 10 are Tanzania, India, Indonesia, and Kenya. The countries that have the least mobile virus attacks are Denmark and Japan.
4. Common Types of Phone Viruses
There are many mobile phone viruses out there that affect devices. The most popular ones are the Trojan viruses which are likewise infamous with computers. This comes to your phone as an app or program that is harmless but as soon as you run it, a lot of things can go bad including losing your data, bank details, and other personal information. The dangerous thing with the virus is that it can even get your device paralyzed completely.
Adware and Spyware are also popular, and what they do is steal your user behavior and give it to advertising firms and marketing companies. There is also Phishing which is more popular on computers. It mimics your activities and accesses your banking credentials.
Ransomware are those viruses that are sent to your phone to hijack it. Once that is done, you will be made to pay a ransom before it can be freed. Worm are likewise popular, and they are contacted via text messages and MMS. There are also those that spread via Bluetooth.
5. How to know if you have a virus
Since they can come to your phones without your knowledge or even announcing themselves, there are ways that you may get to know you have them. The only thing is that since there are many of them, they would almost all behave differently. The good news though is that there are certain ways to know.
See Also: How To Identify Fake Android Phones and Avoid Buying (12 Tips)
The first to tell is when you see that your phone is very slow or your apps are having a problem performing efficiently. Most times you will see that an app stops working on its own. Another thing that may happen is that you will see more advertisements appearing on your phone or your battery will be draining much faster.
You may also realize that your data is getting finished on time or your phone bills are getting higher. These are all writings on the wall.
6. How to avoid mobile phone virus
The only thing more than understanding how to avoid them completely. The first and most important rule to follow in avoiding viruses is to be careful of the app you download. In fact, only downloading from Google Play may be the only thing you should do. If you must download from anywhere outside of Google Play, be sure you know the source.
Other things you should do is to keep your apps updated, avoid cloned viruses, and check app permission.
Also, you should avoid opening links that you do not understand, avoid replying to spam emails, just as it will be wise to keep your Bluetooth turned off.
7. What to do when your phone has a virus infection
If your phone has been infected with the virus, there are a number of things that can be done be to clear it. The first thing you need to do is to remove any suspicious app on your mobile device.
But then there are times when uninstalling the app may not be an easy thing to do because the virus has taken administrative control of the device. In such a situation, what you should do is to go to Settings, Security, and then Device Administrators. Here, you can deactivate the app not needed and now you can go back and uninstall it.
