Can rootkits infect an Android phone?

[snafubaby]

I have a Samsung Galaxy S3. It is always acting quirky. Sometimes, i can read my notifications on facebook. Other times, i cannot. Some news websites allow comments on news stories. Sometimes i can post comments, sometimes i cannot. I sometimes go from the stock browser, to firefox, and back. Different browsers act quirky. I tried Dr. Web for viruses, and didn't find any. Can someone recommend a virus checker, either free or commercial, that would have a better chance of finding a virus on this phone. Also, sometimes, i go to a website, and it shows an error, saying that javascript is turned off. I check the settings, and it's turned on. I am wondering if rootkits, or bots, or other hard to detect viruses can attack this phone. Please help!

 

[LeoRex]

While there are rootkits that have been found in the wild, they are somewhat rare and sparse. And what you are describing doesn't really appear to be rootkit behavior. RKs tend to be pretty directed in how they operate... they are looking to do something specific... like mine for personal data or some sort of directed attack. They tend not to just cause general mischief, like some electronic gremlin.

First... Facebook... that app is a mess, it derps out even on the best and most stable phones.

As for the web stuff... keep in mind that every site does things just a bit differently. Standards are often thrown out the window and everyone just does their own thing.... Mobile web often suffers since a lot of sites are not mobile optimized even in this day and age (Why do you think Google is now going to rank mobile-optimized sites higher in search results?).

Now, your phone could be running a bit rough. What version is it on? You might want to consider giving it the ol' Factory Reset to flush out any detrious you've aquired over time.