While this is true for computers, for android users it's a whole new ball game all together. Hackers are using new avenues which are available only in smartphones and not in computers to profit from their illicit activities. In this article we would be talking about 4 such threats which you wouldn't even be aware of, but which completely exploit your data and misuse your identity.
One of the most widespread security threat is called as the sms Trojan. It is worse than computer Trojans because it directly charges your mobile. The most common form of sms Trojan sends sms's from your mobile to premium rate numbers which in most cases is owned by the creator of the Trojan. Often times it does so in bulk so that by the time you come to know of it, they have earned multiple times from you.
Another threat which was discovered in 2011, arisen from the rooting of the devices. A certain rooting app was functioning as a keylogger without the user's permission and also there was no option to disable it once you had rooted your phone. To detect whether your phone is acting as such a keylogger or not you would need to download the app named Carrier IQ test from the android app store.
We all know that some of the apps come preinstalled with our smartphones. We conveniently start using such apps. However these apps are not always safe. Some of these apps contain security loopholes which can be exploited by hackers to spy on your texts and calls. The real threat arises due to the fact that there is no way to disable such apps unless you are using Android 4.0.
Recently Google upgraded it's app store to Google play store and the users which had app stores earlier were required to upgrade to play store. Hackers exploited this opportunity to construct fake play store on similar sounding domains and making the users believe that this was the genuine play store. The easiest way to thwart this is to upgrade your entire OS instead of downloading the upgrade from the internet.
Most of these threats can be easily thwarted if you are vigilant. Always check out app reviews before downloading. Always install apps from the play store. Never download new apps or apps having less reviews. Always remember if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't true. If you follow these precautions,you can avoid a lot of headaches later.
Amanda PerryAbout the Guest Author:
Amanda Perry is an avid android user and regularly contributes to various android forums. You can visit her recommended list of best android security apps.
