Why You Need an Antivirus For Your Phone: You’d Be Daft Not To…

Many of us are permanently glued to our smartphones these days. We live our lives through them, whether it be to communicate with friends, do our shopping, banking, organizing travel. The list really does go on.

But one thing we never really think about is the safety of it all.

We’re so certain that our smartphones will keep us safe, but that’s not always the case.

You wouldn’t for one minute operating a laptop without antivirus software, and you certainly wouldn’t then log-in to your banking and start transferring money, yet it’s perfectly normal to do so when on your phone.

Some of the best antivirus software allows customers to use it across devices, so why not benefit from that?

There are a number of reasons why you should do too. It’s generally thought that our smartphones are immune to picking up viruses and being hacked, and while features within the best devices do offer a great deal of protection, they aren’t completely riskless.

Below you’ll find some of the main reasons as to why you should use antivirus for your phone…

Downloading Apps Outside Official App Stores

It’s always advised that you only download apps from official outlets but when it comes to Android in particularly, you can download from virtually anywhere. Which does carry risk.

First and foremost you should always check how trustworthy the site you’re downloading from actually is, and having anti-virus software will operate as a last line of defence and help prevent any unwanted spyware.

You should always be vigilant when downloading apps through Android, as 99% of malware targets the operating system, and there are ways in which you can spot if you have encountered a virus. Signs include:

• Unusual changes to your bill
• Invasive adverts and pop-ups
• Contacts receiving texts and emails that you haven’t sent
• New apps suddenly appear on your phone
• Apps using a large amount of data
• Rapid drainage of batter

Logging In To Public Wi-Fi

You should always be a little careful when connecting to public Wi-Fi as you have little idea as to who else is actually connected to it.

Hackers will often target coffee shops and the like and you can reduce the chances of being attacked with anti-virus software or pieces of kits such as VPNs which will allow you to browse anonymously.

Even so, you should avoid connecting to sensitive data while on public Wi-Fi no matter where you are and where you are in the world. They are a hotbed as connections are unencrypted and insecure, and in some cases can even be purely set up to steal information.

In fact, there are a number of ways in which they will do so, including:

• Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
• Fake Wi-Fi Connections
• Packet Sniffing
• Sidejacking
• Shoulder-Surfing

All of these offer significant risks, particularly the likes of packet sniffing, which involves hackers acquiring airborne information and using it quite devastatingly, acquiring passwords, data and much more.

When you are connecting to public Wi-Fi, ensure you do so in reputable outlets such as high-profile hotels, restaurants and coffee shops, as well as public buildings.

Signing-Up To Sites

Many things are hidden behind a sign-up process these days so do be careful who you are giving information to.

Antivirus will monitor the risks and highlight any potential issues when you’re on a website about to register details.

Commonly, adult entertainment sites offer the most vulnerability and have been known to dupe thousands upon thousands of people into giving away bank details.

Antivirus will recognise insecure sites and prevent you from signing up. Other industries where you’ll find problems include gaming, music streaming and retail.

The best way to avoid this is by only signing up and using reputable names. This way you’re far less likely to suffer from viruses and hackers.

Download Antivirus To Your Smartphone

The amount of information we store on our devices these days is truly phenomenal. They’ve become a huge part of how we operate, so it only makes sense that they’re targeted more frequently and at a higher volume.

Hacking is rife these days, and with people getting more and more savvy to the standard patches and security found in our mobile devices, it makes sense to add that extra layer of protection.

There are dozens of antivirus software kits available these days, including the likes of McAfee, Norton, BullGuard and more, all of which are at relatively low cost. Certainly lower than the amount of money you could lose having your data breached that’s for sure!