We begin this post with an element of warning - a grim warning indeed. Hold your breath. Your hi-tech, top of the shelf, expensive smartphone, that you have been so proud of, might have been hacked without your getting any inkling, whatsoever. And lo, with that all your data that you so meticulously stored, including the critical and confidential ones, might have gone into the wrong hands.
If the study report of Kaspersky Lab – engaged in development of anti-virus – is to be believed and relied upon, a majority of around 21 crore of smartphones in India are at an alarmingly high risk of being hacked. The country is only next to Russia in terms of the threat level. The phones with Android operating system has higher vulnerability of being hacked. A recent malware (virus), called ‘Dendroid’ of Trojan family is reportedly creating a havoc for the phone users. Once activated, it can change the command and control server of the user’s Android phone and delete call logs, open web pages, dial any number, record calls and audio, intercept SMS, upload images and video to remote location and open an application.
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It is therefore recommended to take countermeasures like keeping a check on any extra ordinary usage of phone, avoiding downloading/installing applications from untrusted sources, running full system scan at regular intervals, exercising caution while visiting sites for clicking links and ensuring regular installation of Android updates and patches, as and when available from Android device vendors, etc. It is also advisable to avoid using unsecured and unknown Wi-Fi networks. There may be rogue Wi-Fi access points at public places used for distributing malicious applications. With these small steps, you may quite possibly avoid getting your device hacked by the miscreants.
Compiler : Syed Zafar Ahmad
Designation: Executive Editor & Compilor
Bio: A freelancer with a flair for experimenting with innovative technology and electronic gadgets that could enrich the life of a modern common man, and a consultant in issues touching every-day life of a computer suave professional.
Bio: A freelancer with a flair for experimenting with innovative technology and electronic gadgets that could enrich the life of a modern common man, and a consultant in issues touching every-day life of a computer suave professional.
