Is It Necessary to Protect My Smartphone? Antivirus

Our Mobile Phones Store a Large Part of Our Personal and Confidential Data. Is It Necessary and Possible to Protect Them From Intrusions?

The use of phones, laptops, and tablets has multiplied the transport and exchange of data and increased the risks incurred. Users want to be able to benefit from all the functionalities, both in the private sphere and in the professional sphere. It is essential to make them aware of the main security risks of smartphones and to specify how to limit them.

What Are the Security Risks for Smartphones?

The stored data recorded voluntarily (documents, emails, photos, contacts, SMS, etc.) or involuntarily (such as the history of dated and geolocated movements) constitute a whole. The grouping of seemingly innocuous data can sometimes yield sensitive information. Security codes, identical passwords to access different stored services are also sensitive. The attack of a computer then allows the confrontation of all these elements and to deduce personal information which gives the possibility of putting pressure on the user. In a professional context, an attacker can attempt to penetrate the information system of a structure via a mobile. All vulnerabilities of mobile operating systems and errors in user behavior are the door open to all attacks.

Common Safety Recommendations

Every smartphone user must know and activate the three layers of security that all these devices include:

• For the protection of the device, the deletion of data in the event of loss or theft of the device,
•  For data protection, security prevents the transfer of company data to personal applications located on the same device,
•  For the management and protection of applications, it prevents the information contained in the various applications from being compromised.

Many phones have settings that allow you to check apps from unknown sources before downloading them. In any case, it is preferable not to download applications from third-party providers but to stick to identified stores, such as Apple, Google Play, or Microsoft. The basic recommendation is to check that nothing suspicious is added to the device.

What Protections Are Offered by Smartphones Natively?

Two elements are necessary concomitantly to ensure adequate security of a smartphone: the security of the phone itself and the efficiency of the device management technology (MDM, Mobile Device Management).

While it is generally agreed that there is no device or operating system that is truly better than others, it is widely accepted that protecting a smartphone is just as much about the level of mastery of technology. by the user and his professional and personal needs. Each type of device has strengths and weaknesses in mobile security.

The Android type is highly configurable and allows full control of privacy settings. For the user who knows how to adjust security settings and use protection tools, the control is perfect.

The Apple (iOS) type is consistent and reliable, but it does not guarantee 100% protection and is not immune to malware. It all has to do with Apple's security practices.

The BlackBerry type offers excellent business security, especially in an industry like finance. It is however necessary to have in addition a device intended for personal use, which multiplies the security problems.

The Windows Phone type, compatible with Windows, continuously increases its performance in terms of security, whereas in the past it was random.

Spyware, the Source of Serious Disorders

Spyware is malicious software that installs itself in a computer or mobile in order to collect and transfer data to a third party, without the owner being informed. This intrusion concerns all confidential data such as credit card numbers, passwords, PIN codes, or the monitoring of browsing habits. This software has a detrimental effect on the entire network and slows down performance. They are classified into four main categories:

• Trojans masquerade as genuine software. Cybercriminals gain access to the systems of users who are tricked into loading and executing Trojans. They can then access and control the system using a backdoor and spy on, steal all sensitive data, delete it, modify it, or even disrupt performance. You should know that this type of spyware concentrates on the most common mobile threats, 95% of malicious programs. Besides backdoors, there are many different types of Trojans that have different actions. Exploitation flaws, rootkits, banking trojan, DDoS trojan, download trojan, dropper, fake antivirus or player data thief,
• The majority of adware programs are legally developed and distributed by vendors. Some of their functions can be hijacked and used for malicious purposes. Adware programs are designed to display advertisements and collect marketing data about the smartphone user. If the adware collects it without the knowledge of the adware, it is considered malicious. These programs do not report their presence but can be removed with antivirus software.
• Tracking cookie files on hard drives are placed there by websites that the user logs on to. They contain a lot of information that can compromise data privacy by giving sites a lot of information about the user's browsing habits. It is essential to remove them regularly.

The purpose of system controllers is to monitor activity on a computer. They collect sensitive data like emails, keyboard activity, and sites visited.

What Are the Flaws in Security Software on Smartphones?

A recent example of a security breach perfectly illustrates the possibility for a hacker to loot personal information. In December 2019, the flaw called StrangHogg, discovered by the Norwegian company Promon on the Android operating system, opened the door to all the data and functions of the device. The user who wanted to go to an application installed on his smartphone was redirected without knowing it to a pirate application imitating the original application. All versions of Android, including the latest Android 10, were affected. Google reacted by removing 36 applications through which hackers exploited the vulnerability.

As another example, spyware was detected by Protegent360 researchers in a PDF creation application called the CamScanner app, which has been downloaded over 100 million times.

The or Open Web Application Security, a non-profit global organization that advocates for improving software security, publishes the annual Top 10 security vulnerabilities. This ranking highlights the 10 most critical risks affecting web applications (statistics based on a panel of over 100,000 web applications and services). Its goal is to inform about the existence of these vulnerabilities and to give indications on the practices to adopt to protect themselves from them.

Without going into a very technical enumeration, we can specify that the major risk remains the so-called injection attack. It enables remote code execution and devastating system-level code injection. The risks associated with incorrect management of authentication (password, key, authentication, or session token) come second. The failures of access control systems to resources and the problems of updating components and bad configurations are widely cited.

How to Effectively Protect Your Smartphone?

Some types of spyware are designed maliciously for identity theft, personal and industrial espionage. This type of risk extends more and more to smartphones which are more and more real computers. To thwart these malicious actions, a few simple practices are in order:

1. Avoid Installing Third-party Software on Smartphones

Use apps provided by official channels like the App Store or Google Play. For an Android device, only apps from trusted developers need to be installed. It helps to be wary of little-known apps that might be loaded with malware. If any of them involve suspicious permissions, the installation must be aborted. Other vectors can be used for installing spyware, such as unsolicited email attachments or open and public wifi connections. Moreover, although the law is very clear, consumer spyware abounds on the internet.

2. Use a Quality Mobile Security Solution

Caution alone is not enough to protect a cell phone. A security application scans applications as they load to make sure they are free of spyware and viruses. The verification is carried out continuously, as the data updates. It blocks dangerous websites that could install malicious programs on a phone. The use of a mobile security solution is essential to obtain a higher level of protection. Some vendors offer a security package that protects mobile phones, tablet,s, and computer at the same time. Some effective apps include CM Security, Lookout Antivirus, and Security for Android and iOS with anti-theft functions.

3. Have Very Good Antivirus Software

Mobile phone operators offer their own portable antivirus software. This constantly monitors the applications or websites consulted. As soon as a questionable site is spotted, it reports the problem by giving the user the choice to quit or continue. SFR antivirus, Protegent360 antivirus from Bouygues and, all these antiviruses develop common functionalities and other specific ones to be studied carefully as needed.

There are also many free antiviruses through download platforms. The best free antivirus is the 360 ​​Security benchmark which offers a simple and interactive interface. It is one of the most downloaded. Avast Android antivirus, Avira Mobile Security is also known and effective.