The Most Common Viruses of 2017 and How to Stop Them
Every day, hackers attempt to steal private data from millions of devices. Here are the most common viruses they're using and how you can prevent them.
With such a vast number of different viruses floating about, it can sometimes be tough to know if your laptop or smartphone already has a virus. Viruses can be dormant on a device for years, or else they can be hidden deep inside a device, avoiding detection in order to collect information. The only way to know for sure if your phone is safe is to regularly scan your device for viruses. Use the full virus scan feature in our dfndr security app to check your Android and SD card for hidden viruses:
The full virus scan uses machine learning to update its virus database continuously and help fight new, emerging viruses, which means that your phone will always be protected against the latest threats, in real-time. Learn more about some of the most common viruses from this year.
Read More: 5 Phishing Clues to Look for in Emails from Your Contacts
- The Hummingbad Virus
This awful virus has infected over 10 million Android phones worldwide (so far) in 2017. This virus roots itself into your phone’s operating system, collects all of your personal information, and then commits click fraud on your behalf. Click fraud is when a virus makes your phone click on an advertisement repeatedly to generate revenue for the host site. This app is difficult to notice because it doesn’t slow down your phone or give you any reason to think that you may be infected with malware. The virus may be attached to an app on your phone, so be cautious of which apps you download from the Play store.
- The Trojan Virus
This virus is tricky because it attaches itself to a harmless looking app or program. However, once the app is installed on your phone, the Trojan virus is activated and begins to spread. This virus scans for sensitive information like account information, bank information, or credit card accounts. The Trojan virus can also hijack the browser, causing your smartphone to send expensive premium rate texts without your authority. This virus is also dangerous because it can deactivate some of the applications you have downloaded or even freeze your phone altogether. A good way to get rid of this virus is by running a Full Virus Scan on your device to remove the virus. In the future, be cautious of which apps you download.
- The FalseGuide Virus
This may be the worst virus of them all because once it’s on your phone it cannot be removed. As of now, the FalseGuide virus has infected over 2 million phones. The virus spreads through sketchy Android games in the Google Play store. These “gaming apps” have many different names and are listed under different fake developer names.