Installing an antivirus program on your Android phone makes sense if you’re concerned about mobile malware. Both free and premium security apps are widely available, and most of them don’t need any configuration. The Google Play Protect function is another option you have if you want to keep your smartphone secure.
Unfortunately, the growth in Android malware outbreaks indicates that neither choice is entirely trustworthy on its own. We’ll go over the security tests you need to perform to make sure your phone is adequately safeguarded.
1. Test Your Phone’s Anti-Malware Protection
Undoubtedly, the ability of an Android security app to identify and contain possible dangers before they cause harm is its most crucial function.
F-Secure AV Test, a free program, allows you to evaluate the security of your phone. This measures the effectiveness of your security app using an anti-malware test file created by EICAR (the European Institute for Computer Anti-Virus Research). Although the EICAR file is intended to be mistaken for a virus, it is fully safe.
Download the F-Secure AV Test app from the Google Play Store, then attempt to launch it. Your security app should immediately go into action and block AV Test if it supports real-time protection. If not, perform a manual scan, and the (false) harmful code ought to be found.
2. Scan Your Phone’s Settings
You might not be aware of how turning on or off risky Android features might undermine the security and privacy of your phone.
Installing the SAFE Me software, which is free, will help you find and address these vulnerabilities. It scans your device and provides you with a “Confidence” score depending on your current settings. This tool was developed by cybersecurity startup Lucideus to raise awareness of internet hazards.
Tap the middle icon in the list of choices at the bottom of the app screen to see a breakdown of its findings.
3. Ensure Your App Permissions Are Secure
A built-in permission manager provided by Android enables you to stop unwanted apps from accessing your data. Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Advanced > Permission management in Android 6 and later to locate this (or App permissions on some phones).
This permission manager is quite basic and hidden, despite being helpful. Install App Permission Dashboard to get a clearer picture of your app permissions so you can see any potential concerns.
This no-cost app uses a straightforward table to show you which permissions you’ve given to each of your apps. Tap an app’s name to enter its settings, then deny any unnecessary permissions or delete the app. These include: Read call log, Record audio, Read contacts, Camera, Access fine location, and Send SMS.
4. Scan Your Android Apps For Security Flaws
Your data may be leaked or stolen if the default settings of apps you use every day are left unmodified. Jumbo is a tool for finding and fixing bugs in Android applications.
This program, which is also available for iOS, checks for privacy and security issues in prominent apps and services including Google, Facebook, Amazon, YouTube, and Twitter.
Jumbo requests your email address when you install it in order to check if it has been compromised in any data breaches. If so, it will let you know which services are impacted so you can promptly change your passwords.
5. Check What’s Running In The Background
Your Android phone may have hidden processes running in the background, which is a matter for concern because they take up RAM and battery power. However, they can also endanger the security of your device and even cost you money, as was the case with the infamous Joker malware.
The finest task manager is actually included with Android, but there are many of them that enable you view and “stop” background activities that your security app ignores. You must first enable Developer options before you can utilize it.
- Open Settings > About phone and tap Build number seven times. You’ll see a message that Developer options have been unlocked.
- Go to System > Advanced > Developer options.
- Tap Running services or Processes to find out what’s running in the background.
- Select a process that looks suspicious and tap Stop to terminate its services.
Unwanted processes will repeatedly resume on their own. If this occurs, you can choose whether to keep or remove the appropriate app from your device.
Perfect Your Android Protection
Generally speaking, you can rely on your Android security software to do its job. However, there is no damage in verifying that its defense is effective and figuring out every possible threat and weakness.
You may change a number of different Android settings to guarantee that your phone is entirely secure and private. Before it’s too late, check them and make the necessary changes.