Malicious software

[JimmyK22]

I keep getting captcha coming up and when I'm going to sites it warns me about I might have malicious software on my phone. I've got mcafee and that hasn't found anything. Is there a chance it is there and cant be found
Are all AV software much the same?

 

[SpookDroid]

Those are most likely scam links and ads, not malware. No site (unless it's a web-based antivirus) will tell you that legitimately.

 

[pkcable]

Could also be a simple browser hijack. Scammers and spammers exploit security bugs, etc to display a browser page or popup with the warning message in an effort to entice you to click on a link and then go to the real virus site, OR to download malware or spamware. Best bets, close that browser session, then go in to your setting for the browser app and clear cache and cookies.

 

[B. Diddy]

I'd get rid of McAfee, since it's most likely not doing much to help, and could be bogging down your phone. For the most part, it's still quite difficult to get an actual virus on your phone, because malware requires you to manually accept the installation (which is why they try to fool you into thinking you're installing something legitimate). Use common sense:

1. Avoid shady websites that deal with things like porn, gambling, and "free" (aka pirated) apps/music/movies.


2. Never ever tap on a link that appears in a popup while browsing, especially if they're warning you that your phone is infected -- they're just trying to scare you into installing some bogus "antivirus" app that is probably malicious itself.


3. Only install apps from well-established app sources like Google Play Store or Amazon Appstore. Read a bunch of app reviews before installing an app to look for any complaints about adware or suspected malware.


4. Turn on Google Play Protect features in the Play Store settings. This allows Google to periodically scan your phone's apps to look for malware.


5. Turn off "Unknown Sources" in Settings>Security. This prevents any app that wasn't obtained from Google Play Store from being installed (which could include malicious apps that are inadvertently downloaded).