This convenience, however, comes with risks, as Android devices can be infected with spyware.
Spyware can steal your private information secretly and forward it to malicious third parties for exploitation.
What’s Spyware, and How Does It Infect Android Devices?
Spyware is malware designed to sneak into devices, steal data, and share it with third parties.
Malicious actors have various motives for stealing your data, including impersonation, blackmail, and data resale.
There aredifferent kinds of spywarethat can put in your Android unit, each designed to track specific data types.
Spyware might drop your machine if someone intentionally installs it, or through unsafe downloads.
Clicking on pop-ups and links in suspicious emails and websites can also introduce spyware onto your equipment.
Common spy app names include mSpy, XNSPY, CocoSpy, and Hoverwatch.
Spyware often vanishes from the home screen after installation to stay hidden but continues running in the background.
Here are ways to check for spyware on Android.
Here’s how to check for unrecognized apps via Android safe mode.
Press and hold the power button to see the power off option.
Press and hold thePower offbutton until theSafe modeoption appears, then tap on it.
After your unit restarts, go toSettings > Apps.
Browse the app list, checking for any apps you don’t recognize.
If you find an unfamiliar app, tap it and hitUninstallto remove it.
Then, reboot toturn off safe mode.
While searching for unknown apps, remember that some system apps might also appear in controls.
If unsure, consider searching the app’s name online to check for any reported issues.
Here’s how to use the antivirus app.
Remember, though, this erases all your data, so back it up first.
Spyware is designed to be hard to find and operate unnoticed, but there are ways to detect it.
