You probably know how to keep your desktop PC or laptop safe. You install a firewall, refrain from opening email attachments and avoid clicking links from someone you don’t know. The same things are also applied to your smartphone but one important thing you need to practice is to stop downloading untrustworthy apps, especially those outside of the official Android Market.
Malware infects a smartphone when the user downloads a file that contains bot builder program, which is a bunch of codes that will install a bot into the phone’s OS. The infected file can either be a music file, an app, or comes as an email attachment. An unscrupulous individual might pack it with a legitimate app so that unsuspecting users download and install the package.
Once a smartphone is infected, a slave bot program is installed into the OS. The bots can monitor and modify data sent by the device. The botmaster can access and control the smartphone without the user knowing about it.
Users should take security on their Android or iOS devices seriously. Avoid downloading apps or any other files from sites you don’t trust. Don’t click on links or files embedded in messages. Always be careful of what you download to your smartphone.
