Justin Bowden
In today’s day and age, the need to be constantly connected to your data, your email, your applications, etc. is a high priority for most users. Technology has allowed us to be free from the clunky desktops of old and we can now access the things that we need to do our jobs, or enjoy the luxuries for our personal lives, from virtually anywhere in the world! Businesses are taking advantage of these technologies and streamlining costs by allowing users to exist in a BYOD (bring your own device) environment. Unfortunately, this creates a lucrative target for the “bad guys” out there, who look to compromise these devices and gain access to sensitive personal or business data.
Viruses and malware are being specifically created to target these mobile devices because they believe users don’t take the same type of safety precautions they would with a normal desktop or laptop – and in a lot of cases, they are correct. Just recently a new strain of Android malware was found and what makes this particular malware so alarming is that it is virtually impossible to remove. Malware such as
this often masquerades as legitimate apps, such as your favorite games, or Facebook. It will even act exactly like those applications, making it difficult or impossible to tell that anything sinister is happening. It imbeds itself into your device, and gives itself root access. That means it can practically do anything it wants with your device. Most of the time it will only cause annoying pop up ads, but there is
the possibility that it will allow unrestricted access to data that these apps shouldn’t have.
There are a few simple ways that you can protect your devices from these malicious forms of software. The first step is to keep your device up to date with the latest operating system patches. The next step is to not install any applications from 3rd party sites. A lot of malicious software are created and distributed from these, since they do not have to go through the same scrutiny as an itunes or Google play application would. Always only download and install applications from these trusted sites. Another way to protect your device is to have malware and virus protection on it. Malwarebytes is free software which can be downloaded from you various app stores. It can provide real time protection and scanning of your device to ensure that it is malware free. As for antivirus programs there are many free ones out there. One that M&H recommends is Sophos antivirus. In addition to having real time protection for your device it also offers a host of other features that many users would find beneficial. Sophos can offer encryption of your device, allowing your data to be protected if lost or stolen. You can setup a remote wipe, which would allow you to wipe your device in case it is stolen. It also has a spam protection which can help with those annoying texts and spam phone calls!
Here at M&H, while we strongly recommend having virus protection on your mobile device, we would caution that isn’t it a full guarantee that your device won’t be susceptible. If you have questions on the best ways to protect your mobile devices, or would like us to make sure that they are up to date and protected contact us any time at 866-9MB-TECH or email us at support@mhconsults.com
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