Malware Detection Techniques for Mobile Devices

Mobile devices are equipped with a variety of tools and services and handle increasing amount of sensitive information. Like all information system, mobile are also infected by malware attacks. So, malware detection is very important to protect private data and mitigate attacks. This article will explain different malware and malware detection techniques used for mobile operating system.

 

What is Mobile Malware?                                                                                                                                                             

Mobile malware is malicious software specifically designed to target mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets with the goal of gaining access to private data. There are many types of mobile malware variants and different methods of distribution and infection. However, as more sensitive informationand high-value task mobile are carried out, mobile threats are fast becoming a growing concern.

 

Types of Malware in mobile

 

Viruses and Trojans - There are many virus or trojans ready to attack your mobile phone. These viruses may have a fairly harmful payload, such as changing your phone's wallpaper or the language. Hoever, there are other malicious thing like mining for passwords and banking information.                                                                                                                      

Madware- Madware short form for mobile adware, usually finds its way onto a mobile phone through the installation of a script or program and often without the consent of user. The purpose of madware is to collect data from your phone in order to spam you with ads.                                                                                                                                                   

Mobile Phishing- Mobile Phishing are the one step forward and uses applications to deliver mobile malware. The user are unable to differentiate between a legitimate application and a fake application. The fake application collects account numbers, passwords and more.                                                                                                                                               

Drive-by-Downloads- If you open the wrong email or visit a malicious website, you could become the victim of a form of mobile malware known as the drive-by-download. These variants are automatically installed on your device and can unleash a large number of threats.                                                                                                                                           

Ransomware- Ransomware is one of the most prevalent cyber security threats that mobile device users face. This malware can infect and encrypt essential files and hold them hostage until a ransom is paid.                                             

Malware Detection Techniques                                                                                                                                              

Some types of malware detection types include -                                                                                                                     

Static-  static technique focus on detecting android malware by examining a file without running it on the system.           

Dynamic- dynamic technique refers to analysis of malware during runtime i.e while application is running.                       

Hybrid- After installing if application is found suspicious then feature are extracted and dynamic analysis is performed. If application is found then it will be uninstalled.                                                                                                                 

Permission-based- This technique develop a machine learning based malware detection system on android to detect malware application and to enhance security and privacy of smartphone users.                                                                     

Emulation- based-  It monitors the whole system by being out of execution environment hence malware will not be able to detect existence of antimalware installed on the device.                                                                                                           

Techniques to prevent malware                                                                                                                                             

 While mobile malware can deliver a serious payload. There are a number of things you can do to protect your device from infection.

 

• Keep application updated- By running the newest version of every application on your mobile phone, you can ensure that you are running the version with the latest security patches and updates.                                                                       
• Install mobile security software-Just like antivirus software protects a computer from viruses and malware, a mobile security application will do the same thing.                                                                                                                               
• Consider a Firewall- The majority of mobile phones do not include any type of firewall protection. Firewalls not only protect your online privacy when browsing, but can be used to only allow authorized apps to access the internet through a set of firewall rules.                                                                                                                                                           
• Use screen lock protection- Many mobile devices are compromised when they are lost and stolen. Ensure at the very least that a passocode is used to lock a screen. Even better use facial recognition or fingerprint recognition technology.   
• Only download apps from official stores- download the apps only from the Google play store because they make sure that they are safe. There are better chances of installing a legitimate app through the office sources.                                   
• Pay attention to the security of WI-Fi networks you use to access data- In general WI-Fi networks are insecure. If a user is accessing corporate data using a free Wi-Fi connection at an airport the data may be exposed to malicious users.   
• Be Aware of text messages- Text messages are an easy target for mobile malware, so it is advisable that users do not send sensitive data such as credit card detail or private information by text.