14 DAY TRIAL // Since the use of mobile devices increased, so did the number of malicious apps that target them. To counterattack the wave of malevolent pieces of software, McAfee released an advisory in which they highlight the necessary steps that need to be taken in order to avoid such applications.
Even though mobile malware is not as widespread as the one that affects PCs, cybercriminals became aware that there's an easy profit that can be made by duping smartphone owners into installing rogue applications that seamlessly send SMSs to premium rate numbers.
The most important step in protecting your device is represented by awareness. By being aware that such threats exist, you can in many cases identify when something is fishy about a much advertised app.
The thorough analysis of an application and its publisher is highly recommended. Software that comes from a trustworthy provider will surely not contain anything malicious, but the one downloaded from rogue websites will in many cases turn out to be something undesirable.
An up-to-date mobile anti-virus solution can never hurt. Since there aren't many viruses yet, security solution vendors will not have a hard time keeping up with the more recent threats.
Android devices have a lot of security settings that anyone can use to protect their mobile phones. For instance, you can configure the phone not to allow any installations that come from unknown sources.
Another recommended thing is the verification of an app's rights and restrictions. Simple apps should never need to access your personal data or connect to the internet.
“Maliciously modified apps have started to become more prevalent. Based on McAfee detections, we’ve seen approximately 200 malicious apps versus tens of thousands of good apps.” revealed Vincent Weafer, senior vice president, McAfee Labs.
“However, with mobile devices becoming a targeted platform for malware, it’s becoming more common for cybercriminals to attempt to corrupt a legitimate app. The best advice for users is to be careful, protect the mobile device and the mobile apps that reside on the device.”