Google Play Store, the main source of malware?

We tend to think that Google's play store is a safe space to download and install our apps, and in broad strokes it is so.Google has an app protocol that distributes in its own market, to ensure that they have the appropriate conditions to be distributed online and guarantee the full safety of user devices.

However, a recent Nortonlifelock study argues that up to 67% of the malware that affects Android devices comes from apps installed from Google's own play store.Many of them are usually complementary apps that take advantage of the most popular apps pull.Kaspersky Labs was able to locate up to two0 malicious app around the Minecraft that had managed to pass the Google Play Store filter.

It is a worrying statistic that invites us to look for alternatives to Google to guarantee the safety of our devices, especially when using the little ones in the house, which usually fall more easily victims of scams and malicious software on the Internet.These are some of the measures you can adopt to protect your device.

Although viruses are not too problematic on smartphones, having an antivirus or confidence antimalware software on your phone can facilitate the detection and elimination of malicious apps.This is especially useful when blocking apps that seem to overcome Google controls, and that appear to be ‘legitimate’ from the play store.

When installing anti-malware software, avoid generic software and try to bet on recognized companies, to make sure they work properly.

A VPN is one of the essential cybersecurity tools when protecting the data you send or receives from your devices.This is especially important if you buy with your smartphone, you access your online bank, or you have your email linked.A VPN safely encrypts all the data you send or receive from your devices, to guarantee that only you and your recipients can access them.

If you are not familiar with the operation of the VPNS, you can install a free VPN and try it for 30 days to check all its advantages.In addition, a VPN will also help you protect other equipment, such as laptops or tablets.

Some apps request an amount of permits that do not seem logical considering the function they have.Why would you need a flashlight app accessing your personal photos and make calls?Why does a calendar need access your front camera?If an app requests excessive permits, unleash it immediately to avoid major evils.Keep in mind that some of these abusive apps can be very popular: Facebook or Instagram are applications that monitor practically everything that happens in your smartphone so it may be better to uninstall them and opt for safer social networks like Twitter.

On average, each person has about one hundred accounts on different Internet platforms.It is a very high figure of usernames and passwords that can tempt us to reuse some of our keys or to choose relatively easy to remember passwords (and guess).This is a serious error.A single filtration in one of these platforms could then enable a hacker access to a lot of our accounts, including our online banking or our personal email.

To avoid this, always use unique robust passwords for each platform.You can help you a password manager if necessary.

It is not a good idea to share the use of your smartphone with other people, even if they are people who trust, and no matter how much they have the slightest intention of causing damage to your device.Most of the malware that we download on our smartphones do it by accident, so be sure to minimize risks and be you the only person who manages your phone.Adopt the necessary protection measures, pay attention to suspicious apps, and everything should go well.

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