There are many cyber criminals who are harvesting all their energy to gain the access of Android device. They apply strategies that help them to install malicious software on devices. There are no such solutions that protect your android phone. You need measures that can build strong Android device security.
Protection of android device is also necessary because malware is harmful and hackers are constantly developing it. Recently, a report was released from Georgia Institute of Technology on new cyber attack vector that infects Android up to version 7.1.2. The vector was named Cloak and Dagger which exploited Android’s design and screen behaviors against users. This malicious software lets the hacker grab screen interactions and hides the activity behind innocent screens.
Steps for Android Device Protection
There are a number of ways that can keep your Android device protected from cyber criminals requiring minimum effort. You don’t need to spend a lot for your Android device security because it has built-in features that can help you keep your data private. We have come up with some methods that would help you build a strong Android protection.
Lock your phone
Locking your phone screen is the best thing you can do to protect your Android phone. It is annoying when every time you have to enter the PIN or Password to unlock your phone. However, it is worth in case your phone gets snatched or lost.
To enable screen lock on your phone
- Go to Settings -> Security -> Screen lock.
- Create a PIN or Fingerprint security.
Also, you can use the Smart Lock Android feature which unlocks the phone by scanning the face detection, with such feature, you can keep your phone unlocked at home and can also place NFC sticker if your phone is with someone else.
Disable Installation from Unknown Sources
Now let’s get you through kind of trickier stuff which requires disabling certain features that can install malicious apps on your Android device. The threat of malicious apps arises when you install apps from a third-party store i.e. other than Google Play Store.
It is not necessary that the third-party app stores are always full of malware such as Amazon’s app store; it is a legit third-party app store. However, some illegitimate app stores may try to install an app on your device without your consent.
Protect your Android from the malicious apps by driving to a setting which will block all apps that are not officially from Google Play store. Just click Settings -> Security, and then turn off Unknown Sources setting. You are free to turn on the unknown sources setting back if you want to install an app from a legit third-party such as the Amazon app store. Yet, remember to turn it off back once you are done.
Update your phone
Manufacturers, services, and Google constantly introduce updates with enhancements, bug fixes and new features that are meant to make your android more secure. Thus, it is important that you update your device by downloading and installing the new patches.
If you want to check whether an update is available or not, move to Settings -> click on “About phone” or “About tablet” option and choose “System Updates”.
Install antivirus apps
A good antivirus is all you need to protect your android phone. Look for an antivirus that fulfills your phone needs and is compatible with your device. Android privacy enhances and becomes easier to manage when you have reliable antivirus software installed. There are also such apps available other than antivirus software that looks for extensive android security vulnerabilities and also offer protection from malicious apps and websites.
There are hundreds of antivirus apps available on Google Play store that can provide an extra layer of security to your android device. More than 250 results appear when a simple “antivirus” is searched; hence making a choice for the right one may become difficult. Yet, the most trusted and reliable companies offering antivirus protection for android devices.
Scan and verify Apps
Although Google is continuously observing the apps in the Google Play Store to protect the apps from malicious attack. You can enable the correct security feature on Android device that will scan the installed apps for malware.
Drive to Settings -> Google -> Security -> Verify apps, and then turn on the Scan Device for security threats setting. After this, your Android will look on your installed apps and will flag the apps that might be harmful.
Use Remote Wipe
You placed screen lock, installed antivirus, and downloaded all updates still your Android is at the risk of being lost. Now, what if it gets lost? Fortunately, there is still a getaway feature available to get your personal data deleted in such case. The Android manager can track your lost device and also wipe it if needed, for this you need to enable a pair of settings.
Open Settings -> Google ->Security, from here turn on these two settings: Remote Locate this device and Allow remote lock and erase. Enabling of such options will locate your Android phone. You can pinpoint its location and also wipe all data including sensitive data.
Conclusion
There are more things that you can do for better Android phone protection is keeping your location use to a minimum, uninstalling the apps that you don’t use, keep an eye on the app permissions during updates, changing your password on regular basis to keep your Android phone safe and protected.