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Loading...The Cyber Attack Trends: 2019 Mid-Year Report indicated that attacks targeting mobile devices, including smartphones, have increased by 50% compared to the previous year. The report indicates that on a global level, 30% of attacks were on mobile devices and in the Americas this was 39%. If that wasn’t already enough to convince you that you need an antivirus for your Android phone, here are five more specific reasons why a good antivirus for your Android phone is one of the best investments you can make.
Many of us now run our lives from our phones
In the old days, phones held phone numbers and were used for calling and texting. Now, phones hold all kinds of personal information and are used for just about everything from accessing social media to banking to scheduling appointments. They really are the hub not just of our digital lives, but of our real-world lives as well. As such, they deserve meaningful protection from real-world threats and in practical terms that means investing in a good antivirus for your Android phone.
Viruses attack the device but hurt the owner
In the old days, viruses were just about causing damage to a device. These days there are more likely to be about gaining control of a device or gaining access to personal data.
Some modern viruses are basically the 21st-century equivalent of stealing a car to commit a robbery. In other words, hackers take over a device and use it to attack another device. As with “old-school” car theft, the owner of the device is likely to be held blameless for the way in which the attacker uses it, but may have to go through a high degree of inconvenience before their name is cleared.
In many cases, however, viruses are, essentially, about theft or, more accurately, they are about gathering the data necessary to perpetrate a theft (or fraud).
The aforementioned Cyber Attack Trends has highlighted the growth in mobile-banking malware which appears to correlate to the increased use of mobile-banking apps and hence increased opportunities for attackers. To this might be added the growth in mobile commerce “m-commerce” with the result that phones are increasingly used to transmit payment data.
Direct financial theft is, however, not the only threat to people without virus protection. Arguably a more serious threat is the possibility of identity theft. In simple terms, having a payment card compromised may be frustrating and result in a lot of tedious administration you might have preferred to have avoided, but it pales into nothing when compared with the risks of having your identity stolen and used for fraudulent purposes, possibly even serious crimes.
A compromised Android phone can put others at risk
Even in the 21st century, one of the main purposes of any phone is to make calls and send messages. These days social-media and instant-messaging communications probably far outnumber “traditional” text messages, but the underlying point remains the same. Your Android phone can be used to attack your family and friends. What’s more, the harsh reality is that the least tech-savvy users are likely to be the ones most at risk, for example young children and older adults.
Perhaps you’ve already received a message purporting to be from someone you know telling you that they’re in some form of serious trouble and asking for your help (usually money). In some cases, the scenario given in the message will be so improbable you can dismiss it immediately and in others a bit of basic common sense and fact-checking is all it takes to identify these messages for what they are but there is no disputing that sometimes these messages can cause a great deal of distress and can lead to loss of money.
Digital threats can translate into physical ones
In addition to storing your contacts, your phone may well store your calendar, i.e. it could tell an attacker everything they need to know about where you are likely to be and at what time. Horrible as this may sound, it may also provide an attacker with clues as to where your family and friends may be at any given time and that includes young children.
The popularity of Android phones is an inducement to virus creators
In terms of raw user numbers, Android is far and away the most popular mobile operating system in the world and while nothing is guaranteed it looks likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. This makes it a big target to hit and offers the potential of huge payoffs.
Comodo antivirus for Android has robust antivirus protection and more
Comodo antivirus not only protects your Android phone against viruses, it gives recommendations on privacy and system settings. In other words, it helps your phone to be safer and to run better. It even backs up your key data so you can restore it in an instant if you ever need to. Buy it now from Comodo.
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