Smartphones have become a must-have commodity to every user in the present day. Moreover, with the increasing advancements in the smartphone industry, new malware attacks are also on the high.
Malware and other viruses are known to be relentless for their attacks on phones; they will always cause you a series of damage. It can be to the extent that hackers could gain access and control your phone or tablet remotely. Of course, it’s a big plus when you stay alert of any malware signs on your phones. However, how can you tell whether your phone is under malware attack? Let’s find out.
Here are some of the typical signs for malware attacks
In this article, the team at VPN VANGUARD tried to point out some of the unusual signs that indicate your smartphone is under malware attack. Therefore, if your device shows any of these five strange behaviors, then you should consider taking immediate action.
The unexplained appearance of pop-ups:
If you start observing invasive adverts and annoying ad pop-ups on your phone, then it’s a clear-cut indication that your phone has been infected with either malware or adware. Moreover, ads that pop-up from nowhere and contain links to suspicious websites implies you have recently installed an infectious app.
To eliminate the threat, compile a list of apps you installed recently. Uninstall and delete them as soon as you can.
Uncontrolled increase in data usage:
In some instances, you might see your phone sending a notification, warning about the exceeded data limit. Normally, this happens because most of the data is used to show adverts and ads that constantly pop-up on your phone screen. Therefore, if you observe an abrupt incomprehensible spike in data usage, then it’s an open sign that your phone has been infected with malware.
To deal with the situation, navigate to the settings and open data usage page to see which apps are consuming most of the data. Uninstall the suspicious apps that are causing a spike in data usage.
Unexplained charges on your bill:
A malicious attack on your phone can sometimes cause your phone to make unnecessary calls and send messages to premium numbers. If you see unexplained charges on your smartphone bill, then you should check your recent history of calls and texts sent to try and account for the amount. You can also reach out to your phone carrier for extra insights on the issue. If you’re able to pinpoint the app that caused the unusual calls and texts, uninstall it.
Quick draining battery:
Malware and other forms of virus use up most of your smartphone’s utilities to fuel the attack, and the effect will be seen on the device functionalities. For instance, an infected phone will show a sudden quick draining of the battery. Therefore, if you’ve noticed that phone is running out battery at a faster rate than before, then you might want to check for malware attacks.
To diagnose the issue, navigate to settings, then open the battery usage page to see which apps are consuming the most power. Identify the suspicious app and investigate for its credibility. If it’s information doesn’t check out, delete it immediately.
Overheating of the phone and annoying performance:
Every time malware and other viruses attack your device, they tend to exhaust most of the phone’s resources to run the infection. Cases like your phone overheating are only going to be the obvious results. Equally, when the attacks take effect, the performance of your phone will become annoyingly minimal.
Therefore, if your smartphone starts to experience sudden spikes in thermal heating while becoming extremely slow, then it’s time to conclude that it’s under a cyber-attack. The best way to deal with the situation is to clean it with good antivirus software such as Total AV.
Source: https://www.mikegingerich.com/blog/mobile-safety-5-signs-your-phone-has-malware/
