Defense against Android phishing scams in 2023

A smartphone is simply a part of our everyday lives, and if lost, or hacked by dark web hackers, it could spell uncontrollable damage.

Recently, cyber security analysts reported that millions of Android users were exposed to the Mali GPU Driver zero-day bug, even after its developers patched the Arm’s system.

The Mali GPU’s software creator, ARM, has reported a solution that would fix affected Android devices, without having to wait for the long delivery of the software patch. For now, this is currently being tested for Android and Pixel devices, still OEM partners have to wait for the updated patch.

Unfortunately, Google’s Project Zero team emphasized a dangerous “patch gap,” compromising devices, since it takes months for vendors to receive firmware security patches. And with the (OEM) partners’ guidelines; these patches are further tested to ensure the modifications are suitable for the tester devices. However, the lengthy testing period of these safeguards is frequently delivered to the end users, far too late.

So far, a dominant flaw CVE-2O22-33917, one of the five vulnerabilities recently found, enables unauthorized access to devices’ memory storage, enough to create havoc. Next, threat is the CVE-2022-36449 bug; it allows dark web hackers to write their malicious codes into the tech devices’ memory mappings.

However, while the waiting game drags on for vendors to provide the appropriate fixes to mitigate these problems, criminals have infiltrated thousands of Android gadgets. If criminal hackers access a code vulnerability, they could seize control of your smartphone, and potentially hold your data ransom. But you can avoid all of this by doing the following actions.

Install apps only from trusted stores

When downloading Android Apps from the Google Play Store, or Apple Apps Store, you must ensure that you are on the platform of only trusted sources. Only those that you are familiar with, as well as reviewing the source of any new apps before downloading them. If you are unable to get reliable information on the App developer, it is best not to download it.

Obviously, dangerous phishing scams are the bloodline of criminal hackers, they are used to trick consumers out of their most private data. However, this can simply be avoided by keeping your Android device safe. You must do all you can to prevent unauthorized access to your Android device.

Create a PIN or password

Encryption of your data will create a challenge for hackers to steal it. Ensure that your Android smartphone has built-in encryption capabilities, if not, you can still encrypt your data with a trusted third-party vendor’s free or paid encryption software.

You must ensure that no one has easy access to the private info on your Android phone, so it is advised to always secure your device with a password or PIN. Avoid speech recognition or pattern recognition logins, these access forms are easily compromised.

Avoid clicking on links in dubious emails

Watch out for unusual emails and browser redirects that want you to download apps. Hackers’ phishing scams are quite prevalent, and by now, everyone must have already seen these suspicious emails in their inbox or spam folders.

The best way to avoid an Android phishing scam is just to leave the page of the fake email without clicking the enclosed link. You can also delete the suspicious email or click on the tab designated by your email provider to report it as a phishing scam.

Every day, hundreds of active phishing campaigns are detected by cyber security analysts tasked with tracking dangerous threat actors. Most are sent by hackers from the dark web, who create fake website themes replicating reputable businesses.

Suspicious emails with grammatical errors

Be on the lookout for these scam phishing emails that will land in your inbox or spam folder. You should also be able to detect scam emails by paying close attention to the email it is sent from, and grammatical errors throughout the body of the email.

Typically, your email filter will send phishing emails to your spam folder, do not open them. Your private data spans years of priceless data, which you cannot afford to get stolen by criminals.

Your smartphone is a fantastic piece of technology, but it can’t help you if it’s hijacked like many Android devices. With the latest Android scams, thanks to the recent vulnerability of the Mali exploit, it’s crucial to keep your phone as secure as you can.

You’ll be well on your way to protecting your Android device if you stick to these few pointers.