McAfee Tips for Bad Applications (Apps)

The rapid growth in the popularity and sale of Android and other smartphones has attracted the attention of the mobile ecosystem worldwide. Right from smartphone makers to application developers, everyone is focusing on this new market that is supposed to rake in the mullah.

Unfortunately, so are the malware developers.

Smartphones new targets for hackers, malware developers

All these years, we were concerned about the virus, spams, scams, phishing and other malware that targeted computers and laptops. Over the years, research firms have developed highly advanced security software that not only protects your computers from such attacks, checks sites, and scans content before allowing you to open them but also enables parents to remotely monitor their kids when they go online. Like my trusted McAfee family protection software.

However, the Internet has now a bigger access platform-Smartphones. From tiny tots to senior citizens, all are lured by the multiple appeals of smartphones. It’s having Internet on the go. You can check messages while you take the local to office, reply to your boss while waiting for a bus, check out your social networking sites at the airport, show off your latest snaps to friends at a party, download and watch movies during long journeys…..the possibilities are limitless. Children especially the love the fact that it is a phone, gaming device, camera, and music station rolled into one.

Rampant Downloading and file sharing is the main culprit

My children keep discussing the latest apps that their friends (the lucky ones whose parents have given them smartphones) have downloaded and the amazing things they do with them. So I was surprised when suddenly my son stopped waxing eloquent on the new features on one of his friend’s latest phone. My Mom antenna picked up something was not right here and so one day I asked him in passing about the new apps his friend had downloaded.

“Oh nothing! His phone isn’t working. One of the apps carried a virus and it has corrupted the phone’s entire software.”

The cyber criminals have found a new hunting ground. However, this should not deter users from using their Android phones or iPhones or other smartphones. Rather, they should be informed and err on the side of caution to keep both their data and their phones safe.

McAfee has shared top five tips to avoid bad apps. The report states that though the amount of detected smartphone malware is comparatively less now, it is still prudent to protect devices as soon as you buy them.

When installing apps, if the list of permissions for services seems suspicious, don’t install it. The report also recommends that users buy apps from branded or reputed sources. Install only those apps that are widely used, or have been personally used by people you know.

An important tip for Android users is to de-select the “Unknown sources” option in the Applications Settings menu.

To stay safe always, users should install antivirus software like WaveSecure or McAfee AllAccess on the phone before starting to install any other apps. McAfee also offers a special security software for Apple devices.

You can try the free beta version of McAfee® App Alert™ software that secures and preserves your privacy by providing intelligence about the apps on your Android devices.

So go ahead. Enjoy your latest smartphone and be mobile, be free. But most important, be safe!!!

Happy Surfing fellows!

Tags: Android, mcafee all access, mobile apps, mobile malware, smart phone threats

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