A SIMPLE mistake on your Android phone could let cyber-crooks spy on you from afar.
Security experts have revealed how a common app activity puts you at risk of sinister cyber-crime.
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There are billions of people around the world who use Android phones, making the platform a prime target for crooks.
One tempting Android feature is the ability to download apps from outside the official app store – something that’s extremely difficult on an iPhone with the Apple App Store.
But deciding to download apps from the internet instead of the Google Play Store puts you at serious risk.
“Android users can sideload apps from outside of the Google Play Store, increasing the danger of installing spyware-laden apps,” said cyber-expert Chris Hauk, speaking to The U.S. Sun.
There’s no guarantee that an app you download from the World Wide Web is safe.
When you download an app from the internet, they don’t need to pass any checks.
That’s unlike the Google Play Store, which vets apps before they’re posted for download.
That’s why you should consider deleting suspicious apps that you’ve downloaded from the web.
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Look for warning signs like strange requests for permissions, slow performance or significant battery drain, or when the app doesn’t do what it promised.
Of course, even apps downloaded from the Google Play Store aren’t always necessarily safe.
Some “slippery” apps can still make their way on to the store.
“Just about any type of Android app can include malware or spyware,” said Chris, a Consumer Privacy Advocate at Pixel Privacy.
“Even though Google Play vets apps before they’re allowed in the Google Play Store, many apps slip past the testers.”
Google Play Protect
One option to boost your safety is to activate Google Play Protect.
Here’s what Google Play protect does…
- Checks Google Play store apps for safety before download
- Checks for non-Play store apps that may be harmful
- Warns you about harmful apps
- Deactivates or removes harmful apps
- Warns you about apps that violate policy by hiding or misrepresenting themselves
- Sends you privacy alerts about apps that can use permissions to access your personal data
- Reset app permissions to protect your privacy
Of course, Google’s protection feature might not catch all instances of bad behaviour – so you still need to be careful online.
Open the Google Play store app and then tap your profile icon in the top right.
Now tap Settings, and then look under About to see if your device is Play Protect certified.
To turn it on or off, open the Play store and then tap the profile icon.
Tap Play Protect > Settings and then turn Scan Apps With Play Protect on or off.
“For security, we recommend that you always keep Google Play Protect on,” Google explains.
Google adds: “If you install apps from unknown sources outside of the Google Play Store, Google Play Protect may ask you to send unknown apps to Google.
“When you turn on the ‘Improve harmful app detection’ setting, you allow Google Play Protect to automatically send unknown apps to Google.”
You can activate this feature under Play Protect > Settings.
Then you can delete dangerous apps from your phone.
This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
