Recently, Viber, a mobile communication app like Skype, is reported to be potentially dangerous to the security of smartphones. A significant flaw in an Android app downloaded as many as 100 million times allows attacker to take full control of handsets even a screen lock is active and they're protected by screen locks. "They way Viber handles to popup its messages on smartphones' lock screen is unusual, resulting in its failure to control programming logic, causing the flaw to appear," according to Bkav's Security Division.
Malware are often hidden in pirated versions of legitimate apps, which are then distributed through 3rd party app stores. For example, we can find many programs for password recovery for Windows 8. However, some of these programs are actually malware to get your username and information used to crack your password. It is the same for smartphone malware. Nowadays, the volume of identified smartphone malware is small, when compared to desktop or laptop malware, but it does exist. And more and more potentially harmful apps are showing up all the time. Therefore, it is necessary for us to keep aware of malware infections.
Malware risk also comes from the so-called "update attack". Sometimes, when we download a legitimate application only to find it is changed to be a program including a malware component. When the user notifies the changes, the application may have been updated. Hence, whenever there are applications updates, smartphone owners should firstly research apps and the sources from which they originate before installing. You can make a quick Google search by entering the name and publisher of the application into the search box. If there are many research results, you can go on to learn about it in detail. If there aren't any results, try to avoid updating it. Another way to check the application is to see the customer reviews in the application store.
In addition, we should be careful to use the public Wi-Fi. After all, it is free and not encrypted. It is reported that there are several drawbacks that come along with this convenient aid. On a public Wi-Fi connection, it is easy for hackers to get access to your data. Many public Wi-Fi areas are prime targets for hackers to access your smartphones. If you are accessing any type of personal information, say, your bank account or your email accounts, be careful! By the way, please be cautious when you are using your online account with your smartphones.
Brook Allen is currently a software engineer for an international company. He writes some essays on system security and phone security. The topics involve in password recovery for Windows 8, iPhone passcode security, how to recover Windows 7 password, etc.
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