Google Play Store is home to over one million apps and games – both free and paid. No matter what phone you have, no matter what applications you use most, no matter what types of games you like best; There is something for everyone.
In the past, we shared a lot of free stuff and impressive as applications, games, and a little more. But in this article I would like to discuss a huge problem that the Android ecosystem is confronted for years and, oddly enough, most users are not even concerned. The problem I speak of is the availability of viruses or malware on your Android device. And the main reason for this is the installation of applications and games from unsafe sources cracked.
See also: Download Lucky Patcher App & Crack Any Android Apps & Games
You should know that Android is considered the mobile operating system most vulnerable; mainly due to its open source nature. But do you know that you can reduce the chances of getting hit by a malware almost 99% if you stick to the applications in Google play store? Only install applications and games from trusted sources like Google Play Store or Amazon app store. Most applications and games cracked on the Internet are probably trafficked or infected.
Take for example Swiftkey: Back in the day, when SwiftKey is a paid application, many users used to install a cracked version of it because they do not want to spend some money on the things they like; they wanted for free. Just to show the security threats of the use of cracked applications, a developer Swiftkey cracked and converted into a keylogger and was able to obtain personal information from a large number of people. The information received was not put to misuse because it is the good guy, but everybody is not.
Antivirus Apps are not enough protection
Google Play scans applications that are downloaded to malware. If an application is later discovered to be malicious, Google can automatically remove the devices it was installed on. You abandon these protections Sideloading an APK.
See also: Antivirus software is needed for Android Device ?
Android does now offers a feature that analyzes the applications you sideload for malicious software – you will be prompted to do so the first time you sideload an app. However, this is not guaranteed to catch all malware, so you can not completely rely on it. The same goes for Android antivirus programs that capture everything. Just as you must be cautious and avoid downloading suspicious software on your PC, even if you use an antivirus program, the same for your phone or tablet. Some studies have shown that most Android antivirus programs are not very good detection rate.
Avoid downloading apps & games from untrusted sites
Most Android malware come from outside Google play store. Sideloading apps from untrusted sources leads to injection malware into your device. For example, A study a few years ago found more than 28,000 malware samples, but only 146 of them were from Google store game. It’s huge. F-Secure study there less than a year found 28,398 malware samples, but only 146 of them were from Google Play. This means that 99.5% of Android malware in the wild came from outside Google Play – probably APK cracked on websites and third Shady app stores that offer paid Android apps for free.
It’s too important to download Cracked Android App or Game for your security. – AndroidFit.Com
How Does a Malware Work?
A popular technique used by malware developers is to wrap malicious code around a cracked application. Since people get a paid app for free, they will not care, even to check the sources. Now the application will function normally and you will be able to use it, but the malicious code will also run in the background and collect as much data of yours as it can and send it to the creator. Even an antivirus is not strong enough to detect some malicious software.
Conclusion
What I mean is no matter what others say, as long as you stick to apps from the Google Play Store or other trusted source like Amazon App Store, you put yourself at risk. Such as others some play store alternatives. Stop sideloading applications (either cracked or single). Paying for the application you want to use instead of using cracked version of it. This discourages the developer as well as you open to various security threats.