Chapter 18
Fake virus alerts on the phone
What you'll get from this chapter: How to recognize a fake “your phone is infected” alert, why the “cleaner” it offers is the real infection, and what to do if you already installed it.
In this chapter
- Words in this chapter
- Your steps
A pop-up that says the phone is infected, and that you must install a cleaner immediately, is usually the infection.
These alerts arrive as a browser pop-up, a text message, or an email. They copy the names of well-known security companies and use fear: act now or lose every photo and password. The link does not scan the phone. On Android it often downloads an APK (), an app installer file from outside the official store. Installing apps that way is called . The file can steal banking passwords, show endless advertisements, or lock the screen and demand payment. Locking your files or screen until you pay is called .
iPhones are harder to sideload onto, but criminals still try. They send (settings files that can change how the phone behaves) and enterprise certificates that ask you to “trust” a developer you have never heard of. Close the pop-up. Do not install the cleaner. If a browser tab will not close, force-quit the browser.
In 2024, Kaspersky alone blocked more than 33 million attacks involving , adware, or unwanted software on the mobile devices it protects.¹ The defense has not changed: install only from the official stores, refuse unexpected installers, and keep the operating system up to date.
Fake alerts use your eyes. The next chapter covers scams that use your ears: voice and cloned voices.
Words in this chapter
- . Software written to harm the device or to steal from the person using it. Viruses, , and are types of malware.
- . Installing a phone application from outside the Apple App Store or Google Play, usually by opening a file someone sent you.
- Ransomware. Malware that locks your files or your screen and demands payment to unlock them. Paying does not guarantee the files come back.
- . Android package. An app installer file for Android phones. One that arrives by link instead of from Google Play is a common way malware gets in.
- . A settings file for an iPhone that can change how it handles networks, apps, and security. Install one only from your employer or school.
Your steps
Sources
¹ Kaspersky Securelist, "The mobile threat landscape in 2024". https://securelist.com/mobile-threat-report-2024/115494/