Let me tell you how you can find and check Android for spyware. This includes listening to conversations, reading letters, tracking location and other Trojans and worms.
This article is suitable for all brands that produce phones on Android 10/9/8/7: Samsung, HTC, Lenovo, LG, Sony, ZTE, Huawei, Meizu, Fly, Alcatel, Xiaomi, Nokia and others. We are not responsible for your actions.
Attention! You can ask your question to a specialist at the end of the article.
Spy spyware
You may have information that someone else wants to get their hands on. If a person works in a business, then this may be data on the development of new products, sales strategy, etc.
If you gave your Android phone for repair, then for some reason you may install a spy app to track your location using GPS or copy data. There is a large and flourishing industry whose main purpose is to spy on other people with spyware. software. But no matter how smart spyware is, there are ways to detect it on an Android tablet or smartphone.
Signs of a tracking program on a gadget
Unusual sounds when calling
If there are distant voices or clicks (or chunks of someone else's voices) that pass through your phone during a conversation, then this is a sign that you are being tapped. For today's phones, this is not normal. Similar problems with old analog networks are a thing of the past.
Decreased battery capacity
Another sign of failure mobile phone is a decrease in battery performance. If the phone is tapped, then it records your actions and transfers them to a third party.
Such operations leave a trace in the form of excessive use of battery power. As a result, the battery drains faster. The phone can still continuously record conversations in the room, even if it is in standby mode.
All this leads to a rapid discharge of the battery. The test is carried out by using your battery in another phone of an identical model, and then you just need to compare the results.
Phone shows activity when not in use
Does your gadget make noise or the screen turns on when not in use? Calls and message alerts should be silent when the device is not in use. Is your phone restarting for no reason? Then someone can have this gadget remote access.
Phone takes a long time to turn off
Before turning off, the smartphone must close all applications that it processes. If the gadget transmits information to another device, it will take more time to complete this or that process. If the phone takes longer than usual to disconnect, especially after texting, calling, browsing the web, or e-mail, it is probably sending information to a third party.
Checking the phone for wiretapping
High battery temperature
Do not use your smartphone actively and do not play games for a while. After that, you need to touch the device from the side of the battery. If you feel warm, there is a possibility that the gadget is secretly used to transmit information. But this is not a clear sign of surveillance.
Receiving unusual messages
Are you receiving strange text messages that contain random characters and numbers? Function remote control different spyware requires you to send secret text messages to your phone.
In some situations, this can be seen, especially when the gadget software is not working properly. If this happens regularly, then a spy app may be installed on the phone.
Increasing the amount of information used
Less reliable spyware to send data collected from your Android device uses additional options. Therefore, you should pay attention to any unexplained increases in monthly data usage.
In more advanced spying applications, the amount of data used has been significantly reduced, making it almost impossible to detect. Old programs can still be identified due to the large increase in monthly traffic volume.
Spyware for Android
You can find spyware on Android in the files of your smartphone. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open "Settings", select "Applications".
- Then click on "Start Services" or "Manage Applications".
- We are looking for suspicious files.
Good spyware often masks filenames so they don't stand out. In some cases, they may contain the following terms in their names: stealth, monitor, spy, etc. Some less advanced programs are still very easy to discover.
No need to worry if you find evidence of spyware being used on your gadget. Unknown to you it is better not to delete. If suspicious software is detected, it is recommended to take the device to a specialist in a service center.
Mobile phone wiretapping
Return to factory settings
If , then this operation will remove any spyware. The user should back up data: music, photos, contacts. If you do this, you will still need an effective passcode to prevent unauthorized access to your gadget in the future.
For Android gadgets, there is an AppNotifier application, which by e-mail that programs have been downloaded to the device. The utility warns if someone wants to perform an operation that should not be performed.
What to do when you find spyware?
This may be shocking. Many victims are not even aware of the existence of this type of software. If you have identified unusual phone or tablet behavior, then it is worth checking it out. It is important to remember that there are many powerful spyware out there these days.
Privacy App
Increase The Privacy App was developed by SnoopWall. The utility is very useful for Android tablets and smartphones. The software conducts a full audit of the gadget and compiles a list with all suspicious and potentially dangerous programs.
For example, why does the Brightest Flashlight program use geographical coordinates user? Why should he given information? In the United States, the program developer was punished by the Federation of the Trade Commission for such activities.
Over 50 million Android users have installed Flashlight spyware ever since. The developer not only collected near-real-time user coordinates, but also sold the information to ad networks and other buyers.
Similar malicious activity some other programs for Android are also secretly carried out, but they can look quite decent. The Privacy App detects such spies. It shows which applications have access to the following systems:
- Microphone.
- WiFi.
- bluetooth.
- Video camera.
- Other sensors.
Now we can conclude about which programs have a lot of "extra" powers.
Increase Privacy App developers conducted tests with 90 thousand applications from the Google Play catalog and compiled a database of "risk" programs. The development and testing process took 14 months. Such tests have shown that at least 20% of the Google Play catalog requests permission to access data that they do not really need to provide basic functionality.
Some programs collect entered passwords while running in the background. Other software takes pictures of the user without turning on the flash.
Another functionality of the Privacy App allows you to calculate a "privacy index" that displays the overall security of all installed programs. The utility gives an assessment of the security of financial mobile applications and removes spyware.
Good day, dear readers of the blog site. We continue to study ways to protect your computer. In a previous note signs of a computer virus I told you about how to detect a virus on your computer and then destroy it. Today we will be discussing an equally relevant topic - malware removal spies SpyWare. Perhaps you have a spy on your computer. Do you want to catch and destroy him? Do you care about your passwords, personal data? If so, then read on.
SpyWare programs, what harm they do
Spyware — is a program that is installed on a computer without your knowledge or consent. Literally translated, it means: Spy- spy, ware- product. Those. spy product in Russian. I do not want to load the novice user with terminology about what it is and why in an extended description. Literally a few lines, and then to practice. So, spies are of the following types :
- Adware- these spy modules, getting into your PC, are designed to show unsolicited ads. Changing the start page in the browser browser pop-ups with various promotions.
- Hijacker- this type of spyware that performs an unconfirmed reconfiguration of the system, most often the browser.
- Dialer- these nasty things make it so that they dial to the other end of the globe. Then you receive bills for cosmic amounts.
- Keyloggers- Monitor keystrokes on the keyboard. For what? To find out passwords from your accounts, e-wallets for example.
- Screen Scraper- take pictures from the monitor screen of your PC and transfer them to the attacker.
- Security Analysis Software- a variety of small programs for the browser that are spontaneously installed.
There are still a lot of different varieties, but this is enough to understand one thing: these guys need to be fought and defeated!
How SpyWare gets into your computer
How do these spies get into my computer, you ask? Very simple.
- Through holes in the OS.
- Through mail clients (mail downloader and viewer). You open an unfamiliar letter and at that moment an infection occurs.
- When installing various programs. Yes, yes, this is not a typo. Spyware programs can be installed along with some popular program. Unlike the creators of viruses and similar Trojans, for example, a spyware author needs your confirmation and consent in order to install his spyware on your PC. Moreover, from this procedure ( confirmation or consent) you can be distracted as much as possible. Installed programs (not all of course) use windows with certificates and licenses in which you need to confirm reading. Those. you agree to the installation, but still you don’t notice that in addition to the program itself, they also add a “barred Cossack” to you. These agreements are rarely read by users, I definitely haven't read a single one yet. That is, this is the easiest way to install spyware on a computer.
How to find and remove a spy? Spybot - antispyware
So we move on to practice. In order to find and delete malware Spyware, you need to use the very wonderful program Spybot. The program is free, there is support for the Russian language. Download Spybot you can here. We install, I remind you that for a full installation you need an Internet connection, because the program loads the latest updates.
- After launching the installer, a window for downloading additional files appears.
- If you see such a box, check the box, click OK and move on.
- Then after installation, before starting the test, you will be prompted to save a copy of the settings system registry . To be honest, I didn't do it. In general, nothing happened to me after this decision.
- We move on. Then we proceed to update the anti-spyware database.
- Next, select any update server. We poke into the button Continue and tick off all updates, after pressing the button Download. We are waiting for the download and installation of updates.
I almost forgot, before checking, this window may pop up:
It means that there are a certain number of temporary Internet files on your hard drive and, accordingly, suggests deleting them in order to reduce the computer scan time. You can agree or refuse. Basically no difference.
Tired? Well, we're finishing up. The last step is
Immunization and protection
After removing all the muck, we proceed to protecting our computer. To do this, in the main window, select the tab Immunization (Close all browsers first), then press Immunization.
This function contains a list of malicious sites, and any garbage that sneaks through the browser. Immunization will teach your browser what kind of muck it will know and will no longer allow it into your computer.
And the last. Spybot has a resident module teatimer, which is engaged in blocking unwanted addresses, notices changes in the registry and, if necessary, informs whether this or that change needs to be made to the registry. The fact that the resident module is active is indicated by the following tray icon:
OK it's all over Now. Good luck in mastering the program and less for you problems with viruses and spyware.
Helpful Hints
There are some very powerful spyware that can track mobile phones. But why would someone spy on you?
Wiretapping can be carried out for various reasons, and its victims can be not only ordinary people, but also influential politicians and businessmen.
If you find that the battery of your mobile phone is rapidly losing charge or Internet data traffic has skyrocketed, then you may be being monitored.
Spy spyware
Why spy on me?
© DAPA Images
Maybe you have information that someone else wants to get their hands on. If you're in business, this could be information about sales strategies, new product development, and so on. Maybe someone wants to find out if a person is cheating.
If you've taken your phone in for repair, for some reason you may have installed spyware to copy your data or track your GPS location.
That being said, it is worth knowing that there is a whole huge and thriving industry whose sole purpose is to spy on others with spy software. And this industry can be quite legal.
But no matter how smart spyware is, there are ways to figure out if your phone has it.
Phone spying software: How to find out if there is one?
Unusual sounds during calls
© Dean Drobot
If there are clicks or distant voices (or chunks of someone's voices) passing through your phone during calls, this could be a sign that you are being tapped. This is not normal for today's phones. This is a thing of the past and is associated with the old analog networks.
Decreased battery capacity
© janulla / Getty Images
Another sign of a faulty cell phone is a decrease in battery performance. If a mobile phone is tapped, it records your activities and transmits them to a third party. This leaves a mark in the form of increased battery usage, and as a result, the battery drains faster. Cellular telephone also can continuously record conversations in the room even when it is in standby mode.
Of course, this all leads to a rapid discharge of the battery. You can test this by using your battery in another phone of the same model and comparing the results.
Phone shows activity when you're not using it
© sunabesyou/Getty Images
Is your phone making noise or turning on the screen when you're not using it? Calls and message alerts should be silent when not in use. Is your smartphone restarting for no reason? If the answer is YES, then someone has remote access to your device.
Your phone takes a long time to turn off
© Isabella Antonelli
Before the smartphone turns off, it must close all the programs that it processes. If your phone is transmitting data to someone else, it will take more time to complete this or that process. If the machine takes longer than usual to turn off, especially after a call, SMS, Email or browsing the web, it may send information to a third party.
How to check the phone for wiretapping
Battery temperature high
© DmitriMaruta / Getty Images
Do not play games or actively use your phone for a while. After that, touch it from the side of the battery. If you feel warm, it may be secretly used to transmit data. However, this is not always a clear sign of surveillance.
Receiving unusual messages
© VeryUlissa/Getty Images
Are you receiving strange text messages containing random numbers or characters? The spyware remote control feature sends secret text messages to your phone and in some cases this can be seen especially if the phone software is not working properly. If this happens regularly, then your phone may have a spy app installed.
Increasing the amount of data used
© Natali_Mis/Getty Images
Some of the less reliable spy apps use additional data to send information collected from your phone, so look out for any unexplained increase in monthly data usage. More advanced spyware significantly reduced the amount of data used, and they are almost impossible to detect. However, old programs can still be discovered due to a significant increase in monthly traffic volume.
How to detect spyware on your phone (Android and iOS)
Spy software for Android (Android)
© Kirillm / Getty Images
Spyware on Android can be detected by looking in the files on your phone. Open "Settings" - "Applications" - "Application Management" or "Starting Services", and you can detect suspicious files. Good spyware usually mask filenames so they don't stand out, but sometimes they can contain terms like spy, monitor, stealth, and so on. Some of the less advanced programs are still fairly easy to spot.
Don't worry - if you're just looking for confirmation of spyware, you won't harm your phone, but it's best not to delete files you don't know. If you find suspicious software, it is recommended that you take your device to someone who knows their business and can help explain the presence of certain programs.
Spy software for iPhone
© Marc Mueller / Pexels
Generally, if you have an iPhone and someone wants to install spyware, they first need to jailbreak your phone. These vulnerabilities were discovered in the past, allowing someone with access to the network used by the device to download a significant amount of personal data. These gaps have been fixed, but you can never be too sure that your device is completely secure.
Sometimes you may find software on your iPhone that you don't remember downloading. you can check Apple store and see if there this application. If not, chances are your phone has been hacked.
Digging deep into an iPhone is harder than Android, but there's an easy way to remove spyware from it. Just update the software to latest version via iTunes. The update will remove the spyware and any other externally installed software. But before doing this, be sure to create backups important data on your phone.
Mobile phone wiretapping
© LeoWolfert/Getty Images
Return to factory settings
Factory resetting your phone, be it Android or iPhone, will remove any spyware, but again, be sure to back up your data like contacts, photos, and music or you'll lose them.
If you do this, you will also need a strong passcode to prevent unauthorized access to your device in the future. For Android devices, you can also install an app such as AppNotifier, which will send you an email notification that all apps have been downloaded to your phone, alerting you if someone is trying to do something they shouldn't.
Have you just discovered that someone is spying on you?
This may be shocking. Most of the victims are not even aware that this kind of software exists. If you find unusual behavior on your phone, then at least it's worth checking it out. Remember, there are a lot of very powerful spyware out there today.
With viruses and the consequences of their impact on computer systems today almost all users are familiar. Among all the threats that are most widespread, a separate place is occupied by spyware that monitors the actions of users and engages in theft confidential information. Next, we will show what such applications and applets are, and consider how to detect spyware on a computer and get rid of such a threat without harm to the system.
What is spyware?
To begin with, spyware applications, or executable applets, commonly referred to as Spyware (spy in English "spy"), in the usual sense, are not viruses as such. That is, they have virtually no impact on the system in terms of its integrity or performance, although when infected computers are able to constantly reside in RAM and consume part of system resources. But, as a rule, this does not particularly affect the performance of the OS.
But their main purpose is to track the user's work, and, if possible, steal confidential data, spoof e-mail to send spam, analyze requests on the Internet and redirect to sites containing malware, analyze information on the hard drive, etc. it goes without saying that any user should have at least a primitive anti-virus package installed for protection. True, for the most part free antiviruses, let alone the built-in firewall Windows complete security is not guaranteed. Some applications may simply not be recognized. This is where a completely logical question arises: “What then should be the protection of a computer from spyware?” Let's try to consider the main aspects and concepts.
Types of spyware
Before embarking on a practical solution, you should be clear about which applications and applets belong to the Spyware class. To date, there are several main types:
- key loggers;
- hard drive scanners;
- screen spies;
- mail spies;
- proxy spyware.
How Spyware Penetrates Computer Systems
Today, due to the incredible development of Internet technologies The World Wide Web is the main open and weakly protected channel that these types of threats use to infiltrate local computer systems or networks.
In some cases, spyware is installed on the computer by the user himself, however paradoxical it may sound. Most of the time, he doesn't even realize it. And everything is banally simple. For example, you downloaded a seemingly interesting program from the Internet and started the installation. In the first stages, everything looks as usual. But then sometimes windows appear with a proposal to install some additional software product or Internet browser add-ons. Usually all this is written in small print. The user, in an effort to quickly complete the installation process and start working with a new application, often does not pay attention to this, agrees to all the conditions and ... as a result, receives an embedded "agent" to collect information.
Sometimes spyware is installed on a computer in the background, then disguised as important system processes. There can be plenty of options here: installing unverified software, downloading content from the Internet, opening dubious email attachments, and even simply visiting some unsafe resources on the Web. As it is already clear, it is simply impossible to trace such an installation without special protection.
Consequences of exposure
As for the harm caused by spies, as already mentioned, this does not affect the system as a whole in any way, but user information and personal data are at risk.
The most dangerous among all applications of this type are the so-called key loggers, in other words, keyloggers. It is they who are able to monitor the character set, which gives an attacker the opportunity to obtain the same logins and passwords, bank details or pin codes of cards, and everything that the user would not like to make available to a wide range of people. As a rule, after determining all the data, they are sent either to a remote server or by e-mail, naturally, in a hidden mode. Therefore, it is recommended to use for storing such important information special encryption utilities. In addition, it is desirable to save files not on the hard drive (hard drive scanners can easily find them), but on removable media, yes, at least on a flash drive, and always along with the decoder key.
Among other things, many experts consider the most safe use on-screen keyboard, although they recognize the inconvenience of this method
Tracking the screen in terms of what exactly the user is doing is dangerous only when confidential data or registration details are entered. The spy simply takes screenshots after a certain time and sends them to the attacker. Using the on-screen keyboard, as in the first case, will not work. And if two spies work at the same time, then you can’t hide anywhere at all.
Email tracking is based on the contact list. The main goal is to change the content of the letter when sending it in order to send spam.
Proxy spies cause harm only in the sense that they turn the local computer terminal into a kind of proxy server. Why is this needed? Yes, only in order to hide behind, say, the user's IP address when committing illegal acts. Naturally, the user is not aware of this. For example, let's say someone hacked into the security system of some bank and stole a certain amount of money. Tracking actions by authorized services reveals that the hack was carried out from a terminal with such and such an IP located at such and such an address. Special services come to an unsuspecting person and send him to jail. Isn't there really nothing good in that?
The first symptoms of infection
Now let's move on to practice. How to check your computer for spyware if, for some reason, doubts about the integrity of the security system have crept in? To do this, you need to know how the impact of such applications manifests itself in the early stages.
If for no reason at all a decrease in performance is noticed, or the system periodically “hangs”, or refuses to work at all, first you should look at the use of the load on the processor and RAM, as well as monitor all active processes.
In most cases, the user in the same "Task Manager" will see unfamiliar services that were not previously in the process tree. This is just the first call. The creators of spyware are far from stupid, so they create programs that disguise themselves as system processes, and detect them without special knowledge in manual mode just impossible. Then problems with connecting to the Internet begin, changes start page etc.
How to check your computer for spyware
As for the check, regular antiviruses will not help here, especially if they have already missed the threat. At a minimum, you will need some kind of portable version like Dr. Web Cure It! or Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool (or better - something like Rescue Disc with a system check before it boots).
How to find spyware on a computer? In most cases, it is recommended to use highly targeted special programs of the Anti-Spyware class (SpywareBlaster, AVZ, XoftSpySE Anti-Spyware, Microsoft Antispyware, etc.). The scanning process in them is fully automated, as well as the subsequent removal. But even here there are things worth paying attention to.
How to remove spyware from a computer: standard methods and third-party software used
You can even remove spyware from your computer manually, but only if the program is not masked.
To do this, you can go to the programs and components section, find the desired application in the list and start the uninstallation process. True, the Windows uninstaller, to put it mildly, is not very good, because it leaves a bunch of computer garbage after the process is completed, so it’s better to use specialized utilities like iObit Uninstaller, which, in addition to removing in a standard way, allow in-depth scanning for search residual files or even keys and entries in the system registry.
Now a few words about the sensational utility Spyhunter. Many call it almost a panacea for all ills. Let us disagree with this. It scans the system still nothing, however, sometimes it gives a false positive. The problem is not in this. The fact is that uninstalling it turns out to be quite problematic. For an ordinary user, from all the number of actions that need to be performed, it's just that his head is spinning.
What to use? Protection against such threats and searching for spyware on a computer can be carried out, for example, even using the ESETNOD32 package or smart security with Anti-Theft enabled. However, everyone chooses what is best and easier for him.
Legalized spying in Windows 10
But that's not all. All of the above only concerned how spyware penetrates the system, how they behave, etc. But what to do when espionage is legal?
Windows 10 is not the best in this regard. There are a bunch of services that need to be disabled (data exchange with remote servers Microsoft, using identification to receive advertising, sending data to the company, telemetry-based location, receiving updates from multiple locations, etc.).
Is there 100% protection?
If you look closely at how spyware gets into your computer and what it does afterwards, there is only one thing that can be said about 100% protection: it does not exist. Even with the use of the entire arsenal of security tools, you can be sure of 80 percent, no more. However, on the part of the user himself, there should be no provocative actions in the form of visiting dubious sites, installing unsafe software, ignoring antivirus warnings, opening email attachments from unknown sources etc.
Before we talk about how to deal with spyware, let's first find out what spyware is. it special program, which performs some specific action. Such actions may include the collection of the user's personal data, the display of advertising contrary to the user's actions. These can be actions to change computer settings and a number of others. These programs are also called SpyWare.
By using antivirus programs it is difficult to recognize spyware; special utilities are used to combat them, which can be freely downloaded from the Internet.
But remember, when installing special utilities Precautions must be taken to combat spyware. Install utilities only from well-known developers. Otherwise, instead of an anti-spyware program, you can get the spyware itself on your computer, which can perfectly be disguised as a fighter for a just cause.
There are some special signs by which the user can independently determine the presence of spyware in his computer without any utilities.
Signs of spyware on your computer.
1. When you start the default browser, an unfamiliar page that you never set by default may be loaded,
2. The operating system crashes periodically,
3. Unfamiliar items may appear in the “favorites” list,
4. There is an increase in outgoing traffic,
5. Unfamiliar to you may appear in the browser various elements management,
6. An advertising window may periodically appear on your monitor screen. This window may appear even if you are not connected to the Internet,
7. New icons may appear on the computer desktop that lead to unfamiliar Internet pages,
8. New processes may appear in the Task Manager using the computer at 100%.
In order to get rid of such spyware, you can perform the following steps to audit your computer:
1. Check the Program Files folder, go to the startup directory, and also to the Add or Remove Programs section. Spyware you do not know may be placed here.
2. Many spyware can place its shortcut on the right side of the taskbar,
3. Go to the Start-All Programs submenu. Spies you don't know may also appear here.
4. In the browser, check the page that opens by default. Also check the Favorites folder in the browser.
I think that's all for today. We have discussed with you the main ways to detect spyware without the use of special utilities. Next time we will consider the utility programs themselves, which are actively fighting against spyware.