Solution Corner: Malwarebytes for Android
Credit to Author: Thomas Reed| Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2017 14:00:20 +0000
People have become increasingly reliant on their mobile devices in recent years. Smartphones and tablets have revolutionized daily life. Unfortunately, such rapid growth has also attracted criminals, bringing Android up to par with Windows in terms of infection rates.
Android threat landscape
A rapidly increasing group of threats on Android devices are so-called screen lockers, a form of ransomware that attempts to hold your device hostage by locking the screen with a ransom message and making it unusable. Android ransomware rose by nearly 140% globally from Q1 to Q2 of this year alone.
Trojan malware is also on the rise, increasing by 10% in that same timeframe, with many of the threats in this category being banking Trojans. Such malware poses a significant risk, allowing attackers to potentially clean out an unfortunate victim’s bank account.
Potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) are also a growing threat, accounting for nearly half of all Android threat detections in the first half of this year. PUPs may sound cute, but they usually scam the user into purchasing software or services that are not actually legitimate and can introduce security vulnerabilities.
Introducing Malwarebytes for Android
We have improved our previously great Android app with many new features. The same basic functionality is still available for free in the new Malwarebytes for Android, but people who want even better protection can upgrade Malwarebytes for Android to Premium, gaining many security improvements.
Block and remediate ransomware
Malwarebytes for Android has advanced anti-ransomware capabilities that can detect and block ransomware before any damage is done.
If some screenlocker should happen to slip through, however, Malwarebytes can help to remediate the problem, removing the screen lock and giving you back control of your device.
Sophisticated real-time protection
Malwarebytes can identify and block threats before they can get a foothold on your device, using deeper scanning technologies and an ability to scan apps before they are installed.
Protect your privacy and security
A new privacy manager provides the ability to see what privileges each of your installed apps use so you can see if any apps are accessing data they shouldn’t be. The security audit feature alerts you to potential security vulnerabilities in your device settings and steps you through the process of fixing the issues.
Remote security
Secure a lost or stolen device remotely using SMS commands. You can remotely lock, change the PIN, display a message or even sound a siren. You can even use this to help with ransomware remediation, if necessary!
Malicious link detection
Malwarebytes scans your incoming text messages for phishing attempts. You can also make your browsing safer by sharing links – or text containing links – from other apps with the Malwarebytes app before clicking them, to see if they are malicious.
Don’t become a victim
People rely on their mobile devices for all manner of sensitive activities: banking, purchases, accessing online accounts, and much more. Malware can inject itself into these activities to steal user data or money. Further, the devices themselves have a value that can be exploited through ransom demands or theft.
Don’t let your Android phone or tablet be a source of trouble. Protect it with Malwarebytes for Android today!
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