Our gadgets are protected from malware by a special program from Google. But it has small loopholes, and infections of phones with Android OS are rare, but they do happen. Viruses almost always enter the system along with low-quality applications. There are several types of malicious programs. Each of them will have to be fought in different ways. In this article, you will find the easiest ways to remove viruses from your phone.

How to remove adware virus from Android

This type of malware is the most harmless. His job is to sell the product, not damage the system. There are several ways to solve this problem.

• Most often, an adware virus enters the phone along with games. If you don't want to delete an interesting application, just block annoying ads. To do this, turn on the Airplane mode on your phone. Internet access will be blocked, and advertising will not appear without going online.

• Scan your phone with antivirus software. The most popular is Dr. Web. You can download it on Google play. It can easily detect and neutralize any ad virus.

How to remove Trajan virus from Android

There are many types of Trajan. Some send SMS to paid numbers, others steal passwords or bank card numbers. Most often, the virus is disguised as another, completely harmless application. To remove it, follow the following algorithm:

• download a high-quality antivirus program to your device, for example, Lookout;
• scan your phone;
• uninstall any suspicious applications that the antivirus detects.

How to remove a viral banner from Android

This type of malware completely blocks the phone from working. The virus requires a large sum of money to remove a banner. But getting rid of it is not difficult:

• take out the SIM card as soon as possible, before the money is withdrawn from your balance;
• charge the switched off phone up to 100%;
• turn on the device;
• as soon as possible, before the viral banner appears, go to the settings;
• find “For Developers”;
• enable "USB debugging";
• select the field for debugging containing the malicious banner;
• remove the infected application;
• restore the phone settings to factory defaults.

Thus, it is easy to eliminate the virus from any Android device. To prevent the appearance of malicious programs in the future, install only popular applications and periodically check the gadget with an antivirus.

The Android operating system is prone to viral infections - this fact no longer surprises users. After all, smartphones are full-fledged computers, albeit pocket ones. But another question arises - how to remove the virus from the phone? For this, many tools have been created that allow you to fight any viral infections. Let's take a look at these tools and find the best option.

Signs of a viral infection

How to remove a virus from an Android phone? It is quite logical that anti-virus programs are used for this. But what are the signs of a viral infection?

• Android smartphone constantly reboots - if cleaning from trash does not help, then the problem with reboots is possibly related to viruses;
• Money disappears from the account - many Android viruses use the hidden sending of paid SMS and call premium numbers;
• Your bank card data has become publicly available - this often happens when Android devices are virally infected;
• Applications are teeming with advertising banners (there are several times more than usual) - this can also be the result of viruses;
• Some functions are blocked - this is another visible result of infection;
• Increased battery consumption - the virus loads the processor, draining the battery;
• Decreased performance is another symptom of an overloaded processor.

The most disgusting thing is that many viruses do not manifest themselves in any way, spying on users and transferring confidential data to third parties.

We use antivirus programs

In order to remove a virus from an Android phone, you need to use some kind of antivirus. The clear leader in the Play Market is the anti-virus program Dr. Web Light. It's completely free and has a great flair for viral infections. By the way, you can remove a Trojan from your phone with the same antivirus - it copes with this task perfectly.

The undoubted advantage of the Dr. Web Light is the ability to remove viral bodies that are not in the database - the search is based on the signs of a virus infection using a special technology created by the developer. The disadvantage of the program is that the application lacks comprehensive protection. But it is in the paid version of the antivirus.

Dr. Web Light is able to find and neutralize known viruses, focusing on databases with signatures (regularly updated). It has a built-in file system scanner, there is a function to protect the contents of memory cards... At the same time, it does not load the processor and reasonably spends battery power.

Dr. Web Light will help you remove viruses and Trojans from your phone, as well as unlock your device. The leader in user ratings is the CM Security application, which contains comprehensive protection tools and a built-in antivirus scanner. It can scan the file system, monitor visited sites, protect system and user applications.

If you suspect your phone is full of viruses, install CM Security and perform a comprehensive scan of your device. In order to remove a Trojan from an Android phone or to deal with any other viral infection, you can use the following programs:

• AVG Antivirus is a decent app with decent free basic functionality;
• Mobile Security & Antivirus - excellent antivirus from Avast (many modules are paid);
• Kaspersky Internet Security is a popular application from a well-known developer;
• Avira Antivirus is not the most famous, but quite good antivirus;
• 360 Security Lite is a light version of the well-known anti-virus complex.

Also in the Play Market there are many other antiviruses that allow you to remove viruses from your phone. But they are not very popular, since products from well-known developers are more effective.

Other ways to remove viruses

In order to remove a virus from your phone, you can use a rather unusual technique - we save all important data from the phone on a memory card, remove it and send it for an anti-virus scan by a computer (to get rid of viral bodies that could remain on the card).

In the meantime, we are doing a general reset, which will remove all viruses that have infected the operating system.... This technique is also recommended if the result of a virus infection is the complete inoperability of your device.

To avoid losing important data as a result of a virus infection, regularly back up your device.

It is also possible to remove the virus from the phone via the computer. To do this, you need to connect the device to your computer and run an anti-virus scan, specifying the connected smartphone as the target. But you need to remember that this approach is not possible on all Android devices. We recommend Avast and Kaspersky Antivirus Free among free antiviruses for your computer.

Why did your mobile phone suddenly start behaving differently, or even “live” with its “life”? Perhaps because a malicious program has settled in it. Today the number of viruses and Trojans for Android is growing exponentially. Why? Yes, because the cunning guys-virus writers know that smartphones and tablets are increasingly used by our fellow citizens as electronic wallets, and they are doing everything to move funds from the accounts of the owners into their pockets. Let's talk about how to understand that a mobile device has caught an infection, how to remove a virus from Android and protect yourself from re-infections.

Symptoms of a virus infection of an Android device

• The gadget turns on for longer than usual, slows down or suddenly reboots.
• The history of SMS and phone calls contains outgoing messages and calls that you did not make.
• Money is debited from your phone account by itself.
• Ads that are not associated with any application or site are displayed on your desktop or browser.
• Programs are installed by themselves, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or a camera are turned on.
• Access to e-wallets, mobile banking has disappeared or, for unknown reasons, the amount on the accounts has decreased.
• Someone has taken over your account on social networks or messengers (if used on a mobile device).
• The gadget is locked, and a message is displayed on the screen that you have violated something and must pay a fine or simply transfer money to someone to unlock it.
• Applications suddenly stopped starting, access to folders and files was lost, some device functions were blocked (for example, no buttons were pressed).
• When launching programs, messages pop up like "an error has occurred in the com.android.systemUI application."
• Unknown icons appeared in the list of applications, and unknown processes in the task manager.
• The antivirus program informs you about the detection of malicious objects.
• The antivirus program uninstalled itself from the device or does not start.
• The battery of your phone or tablet is starting to drain faster than ever.

Not all of these symptoms are 100% indicative of a virus, but each is a reason to immediately scan your device for infection.

The easiest way to remove mobile virus

If the gadget is still working, the easiest way is to remove the virus using the antivirus installed on Android. Run a full scan of the phone's flash memory, if a malicious object is detected, select the "Delete" option, saving the neutralized copy in quarantine (in case the antivirus detects itself and mistook something safe for a virus).

Unfortunately, this method helps in about 30-40% of cases, since most malicious objects actively resist being removed. But the rule exists on them. Next, we'll look at options for action when:

• antivirus does not start, does not detect or remove the source of the problem;
• the malware is restored after deletion;
• the device (or its individual functions) are locked.

Remove malware in safe mode

If you can't clean your phone or tablet normally, try Safely. The bulk of malicious programs (not only mobile ones) show no activity in safe mode and do not interfere with their destruction.

To boot the device in safe mode, press the on / off button, place your finger on “Power off” and hold it until the message “Entering safe mode” appears. Then click OK.

If you have an old version of Android - 4.0 and below, turn off the gadget in the usual way and turn it on again. When the Android logo appears on the screen, press the volume up and down keys at the same time. Hold them until the device boots up completely.

While in safe mode, scan your device with antivirus. If there is no antivirus or it does not start for some reason, install (or reinstall) it from Google Play.

In this way, advertising viruses such as Android.Gmobi 1 and Android.Gmobi.3 (according to Dr. Web classification), which download various programs to the phone (in order to increase the rating), and also display banners and ads on the desktop, are successfully removed.

If you have superuser (root) rights and you know exactly what exactly caused the problem, start a file manager (for example, Root explorer), follow the path where this file is located and delete it. Most often, mobile viruses and Trojans place their bodies (executable files with the .apk extension) in the system / app directory.

To return to normal mode, simply reboot the device.

Removing mobile viruses from a computer

Removing viruses on the phone through a computer helps out when the mobile antivirus cannot cope with its task even in safe mode or the device's functions are partially blocked.

Removing a virus from a tablet and phone using a computer is also possible in two ways:

• using antivirus installed on the PC;
• manually through a file manager for Android gadgets, for example, Android Commander.

We use antivirus on the computer

To check the files of the mobile device with the antivirus installed on the computer, connect the phone or tablet to the PC with a USB cable, choosing the "Like USB storage" method.

Next turn on USB.

After that, 2 additional "disks" will appear in the "Computer" folder on the PC - the internal memory of the phone and the SD card. To start scanning, open the context menu of each disk and click "Check for viruses".

Removing malware via Android Commander

Android Commander is a program for exchanging files between an Android mobile gadget and a PC. Running on a computer, it provides the owner with access to the memory of the tablet or phone, allows you to copy, move and delete any data.

For full access to all the contents of an android gadget, you must first get root-rights and enable USB debugging. The latter is activated through the service application "Options" - "System" - "Developer options".

Next, connect the gadget to your PC as a USB drive and run Android Commander with administrator rights. In it, unlike Windows Explorer, protected system files and directories of the Android OS are displayed - just like, for example, in Root Explorer, a file manager for root users.

The right half of the Android Commander window shows the directories of the mobile device. Find the executable file of the application (with the .apk extension) in them, which is causing the problem, and delete it. Alternatively, copy suspicious folders from your phone to your computer and scan each of them with an antivirus.

What to do if the virus is not removed

If the above operations did not lead to anything, the malicious program still makes itself felt, and if the operating system after cleaning has ceased to function normally, you will have to resort to one of the radical measures:

• reset with restoration of factory settings through the system menu;
• hard reset via the Recovery menu;
• flashing the device.

Any of these methods will bring the device to the state as after purchase - no user programs, personal settings, files and other information (data about SMS, calls, etc.) will remain on it. Your Google account will also be deleted. Therefore, if possible, transfer the phone book to the SIM card and copy paid applications and other valuable items to external media. It is advisable to do it manually - without using special programs, so as not to accidentally copy the virus. Then proceed to the "treatment".

Restoring factory settings through the system menu

This option is the simplest. It can be used when the functions of the operating system and the device itself are not locked.

Go to the "Settings" application, open the "Personal" - "Backup" section and select "Factory data reset".

Hard reset via the Recovery menu

A "hard" reset will help to cope with malware if it cannot be removed by any of the above methods or if it has blocked the login to the system. To our delight, access to the Recovery menu is still available.

Login to Recovery on different phones and tablets is done differently. On some, for this you need to hold down the "Volume +" key when turning on, on others - "Volume -", on the third - press a special recessed button, etc. The exact information is contained in the instructions for the device.

In the Recovery menu, select the option "wipe data / factory reset" or simply "factory reset".

Flashing

A flashing is essentially a reinstallation of the Android OS, the same last resort as reinstalling Windows on a computer. It is used in exceptional cases, for example, when a certain Chinese virus is embedded directly into the firmware and lives on the device from the moment of its "birth". One such malware is the android spy 128 origin spyware.

To flash a phone or tablet, you will need root rights, a distribution kit (the firmware itself), an installation program, a computer with a USB cable or an SD card. Remember that for each gadget model its own, individual firmware versions are released. Installation instructions are usually found along with them.

How to avoid virus infection of Android devices

• Install mobile applications only from trusted sources, abandon hacked programs.
• Update your device as system updates are released - in them, developers fix vulnerabilities that are used by viruses and Trojans.
• Install a mobile antivirus and keep it always on.
• If the gadget serves as your wallet, do not allow other people to access the Internet from it or open unverified files on it.

Today OS Android is positioned as one of the most popular operating systems - more than 70% of devices around the world are running it.

The reason is its availability: the manufacturer uses open source code for "sharpening" for numerous gadgets and makes it possible to independently change the appearance of the shell, flash a smartphone, get it, and so on.

This desire for personalization was ultimately taken over by attackers, and as a result, a huge amount of malware was born that infiltrates open source and transfers the reins of control of the device into the wrong hands.

How do you get a virus?

Android is considered a fairly secure operating system. It's not for nothing that smart people came up with Google Play - most of all software is filtered for viruses, which protects the user from unauthorized introduction. By removing the ban on installation from unknown sources, you can open access to the device system to dubious applications with your own hands.

Basically, most malware enters the system by downloading software from third-party file hosting services, for example, when the owner of a smartphone tries to purchase a paid application or program that is not available on Google Play for free. You can also "catch" a virus when you enter a phone number on various sites: this will lead you to the cybercriminals' database, after which messages with strange links will begin to arrive on your phone, after which the malware will automatically download to the device and harm its owner.

What viruses are there?

Classic Trojans... As old as the world, but still functioning successfully. Their main purpose is to steal the user's personal data: contacts, personal correspondence, logins / passwords from sites and bank card numbers. You can earn such an attack both through a dubious application, and by clicking on a short link from SMS messages familiar to everyone like “You have received a photo, look here”.

Recently, such viruses are increasingly tuned in to hack applications like Mobile Banking, since this is how attackers can transfer all the victim's money to their account.

Viruses that make it possible to get root-rights... At the moment when the smartphone is infected with this virus, the attackers gain administration rights. From this moment, they have access to any remote actions with the device: sending SMS on behalf of the user, making calls, controlling the operation of the device, installing software, all access codes, passwords, and so on.

Sending paid SMS messages... At one time they were very popular on file hosting sites containing free applications. As soon as the owner of the device downloads the program, messages are automatically sent from his number to paid short numbers. Or, as an option, subscriptions are automatically issued to some non-existent content, for the alleged use of which the owner of the device pays from 20 to 60 rubles. daily.

As a rule, while the reason for the rapid loss of funds is established, the user will have time to lose a decent amount.

"Eavesdropping viruses"... This kind of software is designed to record all the user's telephone conversations, some subspecies are configured to selectively catch important information from these conversations: phone numbers, bank accounts and credit cards, logins, passwords and other confidential information.

Application ad modules... Probably, everyone has noticed, while working with some applications, an intrusive advertising banner that suddenly pops up in the middle of the screen. In some cases, when clicking on it, the creator receives a certain amount from the user's account. For the most part, such a promotion is one-time and does not entail regular loss of funds, although sometimes the owner of a smartphone receives a package of parallel viruses.

How to avoid catching a virus?

To protect against a variety of malicious software, owners of Android smartphones should refuse to install software from unverified sources, use antivirus software, and just be prudent on a regular basis.

Notice that your smartphone or tablet is suddenly behaving suspiciously? Did you spontaneously reboot, turn on the network on your own, display advertising banners and generally start living your own life? Most likely, your device has been infected with a virus.

If the early Android operating system was not very susceptible to the risk of infection, then with the growth of its popularity and, especially with the increase in the number of users using gadgets for financial transactions, the number of viruses for this OS began to increase rapidly. Trojans that try to transfer the owner's funds to the attacker's account are especially dangerous.

Let's take a look at how to understand that a smartphone or tablet is infected and how to remove a virus from Android, as well as protect the device from infection.

Signs of an Android virus infection

• suddenly the device takes longer to boot than usual;
• smartphone / tablet slows down, reboots spontaneously;
• extraneous SMS or calls in the magazine that you definitely did not make;
• money leaves the phone balance;
• the presence of advertising banners that are not associated with any application or browser;
• network interfaces (wi-fi, mobile internet, Bluetooth) turn on spontaneously;
• spontaneous installation of applications, unknown application icons;
• funds disappeared in electronic wallets, mobile bank;
• the smartphone / tablet is locked with a demand to pay for unlocking displayed on the screen;
• applications stop opening or an error message is displayed when they are launched;
• the battery suddenly began to drain faster than before;
• the antivirus program was removed by itself.

If the symptoms listed above appear on your device, then you need to check your Android for viruses.

If the smartphone or tablet is not locked and retains at least some functionality, then you can try to remove the virus using an antivirus application, if it has been installed. If there was no antivirus on the device, then you need to try it from Google Play. It is possible that you will not be able to install an antivirus. malware actively prevents its removal.

Open the application and run it on a full scan of the gadget's internal memory. If a virus is found, select " Delete". However, it is not always possible to cure the device in this way. For example, the phone or tablet is blocked or the antivirus does not find a malicious object. Or it finds and deletes, but the virus is still restored. Some Trojans simply prevent the scanning program from starting. What to do in this case? Then you will have to try to remove the malware from Safe Mode or using your computer.

Safe mode Android is a device startup mode in which the minimum number of system processes are loaded. most viruses use these processes, then in this mode they will not be able to work and resist being removed.

Download the gadget in safe mode as described in the instructions and perform a full scan of Android for viruses. If the antivirus does not open or is missing, then reinstall it.

After scanning, restart your smartphone (tablet) in normal mode. If this method did not help, then we proceed to removing the virus in Android using a computer.

This method can help when the device is blocked or the virus cannot be removed even in safe mode.

In severe cases, when none of the above methods worked, then (Hard Reset) or a complete flashing of the device will help.

Re-flashing or, by analogy with a computer, reinstalling the operating system is the most radical option, when a virus has infiltrated the system image from which Android is restored and even Hard Reset does not help.

If you do not have sufficient experience, then it is better to do a flashing at a service center or entrust it to a knowledgeable person, because not possessing the skills, you can easily disable the device.

How to protect Android from viruses

By following the rules below, the risk of contracting a virus is minimized. Namely:

1. Install applications from official sources (Google Play, etc.), do not be tempted by hacked programs distributed on suspicious sites. As the saying goes - a miser pays twice, saving on a "broken" application, you can give a lot more to restore the functionality of a smartphone or tablet.
2. Update the system on your gadget, if the manufacturer offers them. The updates fix system vulnerabilities used by malware.
3. Install an antivirus program and do not turn it off.
4. Do not open e-mail with attachments or suspicious SMS and MMS on your device.
5. Try not to give your device to other hands.