7 Signs Your Phone is Infected with Malware

Nowadays, pretty much everyone uses a phone or smart device.  This makes connecting and communicating with people so much easier.  We can reach people halfway across the world at the touch of a button.  These smart devices are not only limited to making phone calls, but can handle any and all tasks of our daily lives.  We use our phones for entertainment, business, reminders, calendars, calculators, you name it, there’s an app for it.  

One high usage way many people use their phones is gaming.  Nowadays, the games on phones rival that of consoles or PCs.  But because people aren’t always cautious with where they get their phone games from, this makes them susceptible to downloading malware.  A good way to counteract accidentally downloading malicious software is to separate your devices and have devices dedicated to work and gaming. 

Instead of gaming on your phone, the tech experts at geelongtechnology.com.au say that a custom built gaming machine is a great way to get all the features you want and need to smash your competition.  Keeping dedicated devices should increase the security and safety of your devices.  

Unfortunately, because of how streamlined everything is on our mobile devices, and how connected we are, these factors also make us more susceptible to predators searching for their next victim.  Our phones are the doors into all the information we have and hackers are finding ways to break in and leave things like viruses to steal information or use our phones for other means.  

Here are 7 signs to look out for when considering if your phone has been infected with malware.

1. High Battery Usage

Your battery drain is higher than normal.  Of course, over the lifetime of your device, the overall capacity to hold a charge will decrease slowly.  But if the battery drain rate is much higher than this may be a sign of a virus because applications and programs can run in the background, using your phone’s battery without your knowledge.  Monitor your battery when using it.

2. Call Interruptions 

Call drops or interruptions and lower quality can signify some sort of malware operating in the background that is interfering with your phone from operating properly.  Although things like reception can change due to location and weather, if you are having difficulty using your device as normal in controlled, optimal, or similar environments, you may have some sort of malware affecting it.  Hearing unusual things in the background, or frequently having calls drop would be something to keep an eye on.  

3. Mysterious Activity

Outgoing calls to numbers you don’t know can be a sign of viruses.  It can mean your phone has been hacked and is being used to make these unintentional phone calls.  Your phone number can be controlled remotely and call other numbers with the purpose of selling or scamming others.  Or extra charges to your phone bill or even credit cards and monetary funds like PayPal. Keep an eye out on your recent calls page, applications and banking statements, and be mindful of suspicious or unusual activity.

4. Pop-ups 

Adware that bombards you with adware that can either infect your phone more when clicked or used to make others money by clicking on ads.  This can be attained unintentionally from downloading suspicious things or opening the links.

5. Overheating and Slow Performance 

There are a variety of reasons your phone can overheat.  Constant and consistent use is the number one factor that can cause your phone to overheat, but it can also overheat or malfunction, especially when it comes to long sessions on apps and games.  Monitor your usage carefully. But if your phone is still getting hotter than usual or when you aren’t using it, there may be a virus on your phone running in the background.

6. Data Usage 

Check your used data usage.  If your usage is higher than you normally use, your data may be being used by a virus to send or transfer information from your phone to somewhere else that could be using that information.  Things like personal information or banking details could be at risk.

7. Program Slowdown, Crashes and Reboots 

Many viruses reboot your device to ensure the virus is turned on.  Programs can occasionally crash due to software issues with the actual application but frequent crashes could mean something else.  An inability to turn off your device would also be a reason for suspicion. Your phone can be used for things like spying software, so a compromised phone may be using your camera or audio devices, for scams and phone calls.  Turning it off may stop or interrupt the virus and cause its actions to not perform as desired, so there may be a reason you cannot turn your device off.

It’s not always easy to know if your phone has become infected by malware, but if you do experience any suspicious activity, try to address the problem quickly.  The longer you wait, the more danger you are in of having your information taken or device used for things you didn’t want it used for.