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Recently I read a security firm claimed 1 in every 10 android apps on google play is infected. That is pretty much scary. So how are we going to determine whether an app is infected or not.
Reading the comments/reviews is one way to find more about it. Is there any other specific way to determine?
Yes there are quite a few fake/malware apps available. Another good way to spot if an app is malicious, is reading the permisiions list. For eg: A calculator app shouldn't ask for "Read contacts" or "Bluetooth" or something which the app doesn't need to function. However not all apps are bad, some good calculator apps do come with ads and ask for the Internet permissions.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpha
Try the following security measures to keep safe:
1. Don't install new fancy looking apps.
2. Use appbrain to read their user reviews for apps, it has lesser spam and fake reviews.
3. Read the description of the app fully, and the permissions list as well. If you notice unusual permissions, stay away. Spelling errors, bad grammar is also a way to detect malware.
4. Searching about the app on google would help. Popular apps will have been featured by Android blogs.
5. Since you are new to Android, use an antivirus app such as Lookout or Avast. You can also try Appbrains's ad detector.
6. Check the developer's website and email id on the Google Play page of the app. An example of a malicious app would be the fake outlook app which used microsoft's webpage. But you could guess it was malware due to the bad design, spelling errors etc.
Avoid installing APKs (Android packages, i.e installation files of apps) from unknown sources, 90% of them are warez and the bad part is they diistribute it saying the app is free. Truth is they will have been modded with malware. You can however install APKs from the official developers, for eg: beta versions or older versions of apps.
Thanks for the informative post.