How to be safer with Android.

With the rising popularity of Android malware that does not seem to be stopping any time soon, I thought it prudent to make a guide such as this which will help keep you a bit safer with Android. And I know that people who have been infected with something like Armor for Android will appreciate this. Because these tips are designed to help decrease the odds of that kind of thing happening again.

I could go through several tips for those that use Android devices, but they all boil down to two.

Tip #1: Be smart about what you download. The ability to download apps from anywhere with Android brings users a lot of freedom to seek out cheaper or free alternatives to overpriced software. But this also gives malware writers the freedom to write malware and disguise it as something else. As these are often disguised as apps, you can download malware onto your device without even knowing it.

To help prevent this, you can do three things.

1. Make sure you have the downloads from untrusted sources option unchecked. If you need the app and are sure that it is safe, you can easily enable it. And for those of you who are not sure, it gives you an extra few seconds to hesitate and decide that something is not right.

2. Look at permissions asked for with a fine tooth comb. Think about it, does a Christmas caroling app really need to monitor your phone calls? Permissions are often the issue for well intentioned users to cause issues. But thinking of what permissions are needed can be time consuming for most users. So I like to think of it in terms of what permissions I would ask for. Then I would think of what permissions I would ask for if I wanted this app to do something malicious. Ask yourself that and then look at the list of permissions. Which list is it closer to?

3. Only download from the Play Store. That overpriced software we were talking about? Odds are good that there is a cheaper version in the Play Store. In a world where there's an app for that, odds are good that someone is fed up with overpriced apps. And besides that, very few malicious apps have gotten through the security of the Play Store. I'm not saying that you should not download from regular online sources. Just look twice before you download.

Tip #2: Keep security software on your device. Even though you may be a pro at figuring out what apps are safe, you can still be the victim of drive by downloads. These types of downloads often contain Trojans which download and install themselves to your device without you seeing anything asking your permission.

This is why security software is a must.

There are quite a few apps which will help you stay secure, but one of my personal favorites is Avast Mobile Security. This app not only has a top notch antivirus scanner that protects you in real time, but it also has anti-theft components which can help you get your device back if it is stolen.

And one app that is being worked on is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for the Android platform. It is not available yet, but I will be downloading it on my Android devices when it is.

Thank you for reading, I invite readers to comment with any questions or comments. And if you have a tip I missed, please comment and tell me about it.