While using your phone, you might have noticed some unusual behavior that may be causing some serious problems like frequent lagging, faster battery draining, and others.
If these problems are continually appearing, then it is a sign of a Malware Attack. Malware, commonly termed as a ‘Virus,’ is a malicious program created by cybercriminals for carrying out various ill-disposed activities like:
- Identity theft to sell your identity on the dark web.
- Generate revenues through ads bombarding.
- Stealing browsing information, bank details, personal files for extortion.
- Encrypting essential data for the ransomware.
- Using your device computing power for crypto mining.
- Capturing your keystrokes.
- Spying
These are just the most common functions of malware; it can further damage the device in many other ways. Malware is of several types like Trojans, Spyware, Adware, Ransomware, Browser Hijacker, and others. A virus is also a type of Malware.
In this guide, we would discuss more on Malware or Virus and look for ways to remove it from your Android phone.
What are the signs of a Virus or other Malware attack?
Whenever a malware attacks your phone, usually, it would show several abnormalities. Here are a few indications that confirm the entry of a Malware program on your device:
- Your phone becomes sluggish and hangs repeatedly.
- Your browser and apps are bombarded with irrelevant and unintentional ads.
- You see banner and pop-up advertisements on the apps that usually do not display ads such as WhatsApp, Facebook, or any system app.
- The phone’s battery is draining rapidly than usual.
- The phone is filled with some apps that you do not remember downloading.
- You are redirected you irrelevant and untrustworthy websites on your browser.
- The phone’s data usage has suddenly risen.
How to check for Viruses on your Android phone?
In the previous section, you got to know about the indications that confirms the presence of Malware programs on your device. Now, to check for the culprit program, you can perform the malware scan using antimalware instead of looking for the malware manually.
If you don’t have any security program for your phone, you must get one immediately. There are plenty of security apps available in the market for your device.
For the best results, you must go for the antimalware program that is most compatible with your phone and also goes with your budget.
How to remove Viruses from Android Phones?
It is essential to get rid of the malware from your phone so that it cannot further damage your device. You can perform the following measures to remove viruses or other malware from your phone.
Note: Options explained in this guide may vary according to different mobile manufacturer company, so look for similar options on your phone.
1. Remove Malicious Apps through Safe Mode
Safe Mode is the perfect environment to remove malicious applications from your phone permanently.
- Press and hold the Power Button on your Android phone.
- Touch the power icon on the screen that would boot your phone in Safe Mode.
- To ensure that you are in Safe Mode, notice that only native apps are active, and the Safe Mode icon is there at the bottom.
- Now, one by one start removing the apps that you have installed right before the abnormality starts on your device.
- Remember to make a list of the apps that you are uninstalling so that you can re-install them if they are safe.
- After every app removal, restart your phone in normal mode and check if the problem persists. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you catch the malicious app.
- After the problematic application is detected, you can re-install other apps.
2. Run an Antimalware Scan
If you could not catch the infected application, get an extensive antimalware program, and perform a full system scan.Antimalware applications are a much better option as they can easily find the culprit app responsible for the malware infection.
3. Factory Reset the Phone
If even after trying the above two steps, the malware is still stuck on your device, then you have to take the ultimate action of Factory reset the phone.
- On your phone, go to Settings and choose System.
- Under System settings, select Reset.
- Tap on RESET PHONE to clear all data from the phone.
Tips to Avoid Malware in Future
By applying the measures provided in the previous section, you should be able to remove the malware from your phone. However, it would be best if you always were prepared for such attacks and not wait until it occurs. Here are some suggestions to avoid such trouble in the future:
- Always keep a robust and trustworthy security app on your phone.
- Ensure that your device and applications are always up to date. An outdated application is a potential virus.
- Always follow healthy browsing practices while on the internet. Never click a suspicious link or go for an intriguing pop-up ad.
- Avoid opening email attachments from unknown sources.
- Avoid connecting to an insecure WiFi. If it is necessary, then use VPN to connect.
- Be very careful while downloading freeware. They are mostly malware carriers.
- Install apps from trusted sources like Google Play Store.
Bottom Line
So, this was all about malware and how to remove them from your Android devices. Keep in mind that, to release their infected apps or files, cybercriminals always look for sources where there are a considerable number of users so that the gain from the damage is maximum. Since Android is an open-source OS with a vast user base, there is no better platform for cybercriminals. So, always be attentive and follow virus avoiding measures.