Android virus does not allow you to enter the settings. How to remove a dangerous virus from your phone: easy ways

What is a mobile phone for us? This is an adviser, assistant, wallet, personal secretary and a box with our secrets in one "face". We trust him with our most secret things. Sometimes he knows more about us than our closest friend. And it’s scary to imagine what can happen when someone else… an intruder wedges into the intimate space of a person and a device.

Let's figure out how to understand that an Android and iOS phone is hacked or infected with malware. How to find and remove a virus from your phone.

No, son, this is not fantasy.

Almost all owners of smartphones and tablets have heard about the existence of mobile malware, but, alas, many do not believe in them. Like, Android is, and the closed Apple is even too tough for them. In fact, malware (not classic viruses) can infect any platform. 95% of infections are on Android. In iOS, things are better in this regard, however, if they attack malware, they always attack unexpectedly (the owner thinks that the device is safe) and appear from where they did not expect: from official content stores.

Signs of hacking and infection of a mobile device

The following symptoms will indicate that a phone or tablet has undergone a virus or hacker attack:

On the device, communication functions are turned on by themselves - Wi-Fi, disabled SIM cards, GPS, and so on.
Applications appear that cannot be uninstalled. Or after deletion, they are restored.
Applications are downloaded and installed spontaneously.
Advertising opens directly on the desktop and has no connection with any program. It can be "targeted", that is, it matches your search queries and just spoken words near the phone. As a rule, it is very aggressive and intrusive.
In the history of calls and SMS there are outgoing calls of unknown numbers (paid).
Individual device functions are blocked, applications stop running, buttons are pressed, menu items in the settings disappear. Error messages pop up. Security settings change spontaneously (USB debugging is enabled, installation of programs from unknown sources is allowed, etc.)

The anti-virus program is blocked, permanently closed or completely removed. The installation of antiviruses from the market is blocked.
The antivirus program informs you about the infection, but cannot deal with it.
Web pages of dubious content (casinos, girls, etc.) spontaneously open in the browser.
Money is deducted from the balance of the phone. Paid subscriptions to services and services not related to your mobile operator are activated.
The work environment is changing.
The device is completely locked, and a message is displayed on the screen demanding to pay a ransom for unlocking.
The battery runs out much faster than usual. The gadget slows down, freezes and heats up even during sleep.
The storage is filled with incomprehensible things, cleaning does not help or helps for a short time.

It happens that the infection does not manifest itself in any way, and the user only learns that it has happened by emptying bank accounts or stealing accounts.

How to understand if an application can spy on you

Malicious programs most often end up on Android devices from third-party sources - websites on the Internet, an infected computer, etc., bypassing the Google Play market. On iOS, on the contrary, the main channel for their distribution is the official content stores. Of course, all applications uploaded there are moderated, but absolutely impenetrable filters do not exist.

Spyware and other malware often masquerade as something safe and may even have useful functionality. However, their main task is to collect information about you, and for this they need special permissions, redundant for the needs of a normal program. For example, if a screenshot app asks for access to the camera, Wi-Fi, microphone, contacts, and calls, it's clearly going to take more than just screenshots.

Many normal applications collect information about the system and device, keep a log of their work and transfer this information to the developer, but the personal data of the owner of the device, with which they do not interact, is taboo for them.

How to remove virus from phone

This instruction is more useful for owners of electronic "pets" on Android or jailbroken iPhones. On Apple mobile devices without superuser rights, it is usually enough to remove a suspicious program using the system tools.

The steps below will help you not only find and destroy malware, but also minimize the damage caused by it. The main part of the techniques is applicable only to Android, since it is subject to such misfortunes much more often.

Install an antivirus on the device and scan the memory (if it is already installed, update the databases if possible). If he not only finds, but also neutralizes the infection, you can consider yourself lucky. In about half of the cases, the antivirus does not cope with the malware, although it determines its name and location, and this makes it possible to remove it manually.

Attention! If the phone is infected, do not start, but rather temporarily delete electronic wallets and mobile banking from it.

Android viruses like to appoint themselves as device administrators - this gives them more powers and prevents them from being deleted. This is also one of the reasons that the antivirus cannot cope with the infection, so your task is to deprive it of its administrative status.

Open the gadget settings, go to the " Personal data" And " Security". Open the " Device administrators”And uncheck the box next to what the antivirus swears at, or all programs you don’t know about. Then run a rescan or remove the malware manually by finding it in the " Applications».

If malware has blocked some of the phone's functions, for example, disabled the ability to access settings, try removing it through safe mode. In Android safe mode, only system applications work, and the virus will not be able to interfere with its removal.

Entering Safe Mode varies from device to device. On phones with Android 4.1 and above, press the power button. When the action selection window appears, touch and hold your finger on " Power off' until you see the sentence ' Go into safe mode". If you have an older version of Android or the function is blocked, in order to boot the previously turned off device in safe mode, along with the power button, hold down the volume rocker from the down side. This combination is used most often, but there are devices that require other buttons to be pressed.

Malware with the ability to block system functions sometimes designate themselves as debugging applications.

To remove an intruder from the list of debuggers, open the " For developers". On many firmware, it is hidden by default. To access it, go to the " About phone" or " About tablet”, find the item “ Build number” and start quickly touching it with your finger until a notification appears that you have become a developer. In the developers section, find the item " Debugging Applications” (on your firmware it may be called a little differently) and remove everything unknown from the list of debuggers.

If malware prevents the installation of antivirus on the device or interferes with its operation, you can scan the phone with the antivirus program installed on the computer.

To check the device for viruses through a computer, enable in the section " For developers» mobile device debugging byUSB and connect it with a cable to the PC howUSB stick.

After removing the virus, be sure to change the passwords of all network accounts that you used on your phone!

If the malware is not removed

Some mobile viruses are extremely difficult to remove. Or not amenable at all, for example, when they are deeply embedded in the system. This happens as a result of infection of a rooted or jailbroken device, when the malware gets unhindered access to almost all objects and data. It also happens that a virus (usually a spyware or adware type) enters the device along with the firmware, not only the custom (unofficial) one installed by the user himself, but also the factory one.

To combat especially tenacious malware, 2 methods are used - system rollback to factory settings with deletion of user data and flashing.

On phones and tablets where superuser rights have been obtained, a factory reset is usually ineffective.

On Android, resetting to factory settings is done from the utility " Settings» and section « Reset and restore". The option is called " Return to factory settings' or something similar. Before doing this, do not forget to save all valuable data from the phone’s memory to another medium, as they will be deleted during the reset.

If a virus blocked the download or disabled the reset function, you can restore your Android device to factory settings through the Recovery menu. For this:

Switch off the device by pressing the button.
Turn it on again while holding the hard reset button combination. On some devices, these are the power and volume up buttons, on others - power and volume down, on the third, you need to press the "Home" button with them, on the fourth there is a special recessed "Reset" button, etc. What exactly should you press, can be found in the instructions for the device.
Once in Recovery, select the option " wipedata/factoryreset».

On iOS, the reset function is located under " Main". A softer version is Reset all settings". It helps to restore the system when the virus has already been removed, as it returns only the settings to the original parameters without affecting the content. Hard option - Erase settings and content"Deletes user applications and files, and also cancels all changes.

If there is no effect from hard reset, the last resort remains - flashing the device, which is equivalent to reinstalling the operating system on the computer. Alternatives to factory firmware for many common Android devices are easily found on specialized forums along with installation software and instructions, but if you don’t want to take risks (in case of unsuccessful flashing, the phone may pretend to be a “brick”), it’s better to contact customer service.

How to reduce the chance of your mobile getting infected and hacked

Install software from official app stores. Executable files downloaded from unknown sources should be checked with antivirus before launch.
If you have obtained superuser rights on the device, be sure to install an antivirus program.
If the phone functions as a wallet, do not give it to strangers, and if children use it, install .
Update your gadget's operating system as updates are released. Many malicious programs stop working on new firmware versions.

And remember that your safety is in your hands.

Remove viruses with 360 Security Lite

The easiest way to "treat" an android device from malicious files and programs is to clean it with an antivirus program.

360 Security Lite is one of the most popular antivirus software for Android devices. In order to clean your device or provide future protection, you should:

1. Install.

2. After installing the application, click on the icon on the desktop, and run the program.
3. In the Anti-Virus tab, click the Scan button.

4. The app will start scanning your device for viruses.

5. The next step is to remove the malware. If you find something - no quarantines are needed - immediately put the switch on all to the delete position.

Note: I think it's obvious to everyone that this method only works if the android device is fully functional. The same applies to other antivirus programs.

Using Avast Mobile

Another good antivirus app is Mobile Security & Antivirus Avast. How to use it, read below.

1) Download the application from the official site or install.
2) Please note that you have read the license agreement and privacy policy.

3) Go to Smart check - Check device.

4) Anti-Virus will immediately start updating virus databases.

5. After the scan is completed, you will be prompted to choose actions in relation to threats. Now the antivirus will monitor your device.

Treatment in safe mode

The thing is that the vast majority of virus programs do not work in safe mode. This means that if you start the device in this mode, the virus simply will not work, respectively, it can be easily removed.

To start safe mode, follow these steps:
1. Hold down the power button of the device.
2. Hold your finger on "Disable Device" until you see this message:

Once your Android device is in safe mode, scan it with antivirus and remove malware. If the antivirus program does not start, reinstall it by downloading it again from the Google Play Market.

How not to catch the virus again - prevention

To prevent viruses from infecting your device, follow these tips:

install applications of any kind only from trusted sources, for example, from the Google Play Market, here administrators carefully check their content;
install from sites you trust - for example: site :-)
always update the OS of your device;
do not visit suspicious sites or click on links like "Your Android device is blocked" or "Viruses have been found on your phone", if you click on such messages, you will definitely acquire a virus.

Brief summary

In this article, I told you how to solve the problem of viruses on Android devices. I hope it will be useful to you, and you can easily get rid of unwanted and extraneous programs. Good luck!

Smartphones, like computers, can be attacked by viruses. Malicious applications are designed to steal personal data, and in the process, the phone may even fail.

What to do if there is a virus in your phone or you suspect its presence? You need to determine whether your device has really been infected with malware. If the answer is yes, then it should be removed.

How to remove virus from phone?

To uninstall, you need to install and run an antivirus program - this is the only method that will allow you to get rid of unnecessary software without loss. You can use any utility:

Kaspersky Mobile Security
Avira Antivirus Security
Avast! PDA Edition

There are others that are easy to find on the Google app store. We scan the phone with any application - if viruses are found, they will be removed. There are situations when the smartphone refuses to work in normal mode even after verification. If you cannot remove the malicious utility through the antivirus, you can use the factory reset. Be sure to save all important data beforehand, as they will be deleted from the device's memory. When everything required is copied, go to the settings section and reset them to factory settings.

How to determine the presence of a virus?

Viruses do not always show any signs of their presence. But if your phone started to malfunction, the programs stopped turning on, the encoding changed - this is a serious reason to check. When the operating system freezes and strange pictures are displayed on the screen asking you to send SMS, it's time to turn on the antivirus. There can be many situations, but usually they lead to problems in the operation of the smartphone.

How to avoid infection?

Usually viruses enter the phone due to the user's negligence. This happens during the installation of unlicensed programs and games that were downloaded from third-party sites. Such an application, installed by a gullible user, will allow an attacker to gain control over the phone's OS, use the functions he needs, which can lead to loss of finances in the future.

Be careful! Modern versions of malware make it possible to collect as much data as possible about the owner of the device: contacts, photos and videos, passwords from different sites.

Sometimes viruses catch on the Internet by clicking on various links. If you often visit various resources, we recommend that you install an antivirus. Even if the phone behaves normally, do not be lazy to check it every few days. If the device is still infected, do not panic. Install the antivirus you like, it will help you deal with the problem. If this does not help, the settings can be reset by returning the device to its original state.

Why did your mobile phone suddenly start behaving differently than usual, or even “healed” with its “life”? Perhaps because a malicious program has settled in it. Today, the number of viruses and trojans for Android is growing exponentially. Why? Yes, because the cunning virus writers know that smartphones and tablets are increasingly being used by our fellow citizens as electronic wallets, and they are doing everything to move funds from the owners' accounts into their pockets. Let's talk about how to understand that a mobile device has picked up an infection, how to remove a virus from Android and protect yourself from re-infection.

Symptoms of a virus infection on an Android device

The gadget turns on longer than usual, slows down or suddenly reboots.
In the history of SMS and phone calls, there are outgoing messages and calls that you did not make.
Money is debited from your phone account by itself.
Ads appear on the desktop or in the browser that are not associated with any application or site.
Programs are installed by themselves, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or a camera are turned on.
Lost access to electronic wallets, mobile banking, or for unknown reasons, the amount in the accounts has decreased.
Someone has taken over your account in social networks or instant messengers (if used on a mobile device).
The gadget is blocked, and a message is displayed on the screen that you have violated something and must pay a fine or simply transfer money to someone for unlocking.
Applications suddenly stopped running, access to folders and files was lost, any device functions were blocked (for example, buttons are not pressed).
When you start programs, messages pop up, like "an error occurred in the com.android.systemUI application."
Unknown icons appeared in the application list, and unknown processes appeared in the task manager.
The anti-virus program informs you about the detection of malicious objects.
The anti-virus program was accidentally deleted from the device or does not start.
Your phone or tablet battery is draining faster than usual.

Not all of these symptoms are 100% indicative of a virus, but each is a reason to immediately scan your device for infection.

The easiest way to remove a mobile virus

If the gadget has kept working, the easiest way to remove the virus is with the antivirus installed on Android. Run a full scan of the phone's flash memory, if a malicious object is detected, select the "Delete" option, saving the neutralized copy in quarantine (in case the antivirus mistook something safe for a virus).

Unfortunately, this method helps in about 30-40% of cases, since most malicious objects actively resist their removal. But there is control over them too. Next, we will look at options for when:

the antivirus does not start, does not detect or remove the source of the problem;
the malicious program is restored after removal;
the device (or its individual functions) is blocked.

Removing malware in safe mode

If you can't clean your phone or tablet normally, try using the safe mode. The bulk of malicious programs (not only mobile ones) do not show any activity in safe mode and do not prevent destruction.

To boot the device into safe mode, press the on/off button, put your finger on "Power off" and hold it until the message "Entering safe mode" appears. After that click OK.

If you have an old version of Android - 4.0 and below, turn off the gadget in the usual way and turn it on again. When the Android logo appears on the screen, press the Volume Up and Volume Down keys at the same time. Hold them until the machine boots up completely.

While in safe mode, scan your device with an antivirus. If there is no antivirus or it does not start for some reason, install (or reinstall) it from Google Play.

In this way, advertising viruses such as Android.Gmobi 1 and Android.Gmobi.3 (according to Dr. Web classification) are successfully removed, which download various programs to the phone (in order to increase the rating), and also display banners and ads on the desktop.

If you have superuser (root) rights and you know exactly what caused the problem, launch a file manager (for example, Root explorer), follow the path where this file is located and delete it. Most often, mobile viruses and trojans place their bodies (executable files with the .apk extension) in the system/app directory.

To switch to normal mode, simply reboot the device.

Removing mobile viruses through a computer

Removing viruses on the phone through a computer helps out when the mobile antivirus does not cope with its task even in safe mode or the device functions are partially blocked.

It is also possible to remove a virus from a tablet and phone using a computer in two ways:

using an antivirus installed on a PC;
manually through a file manager for Android gadgets, for example, Android Commander.

Using an antivirus on a computer

To scan files on your mobile device with an antivirus installed on your computer, connect your phone or tablet to the PC with a USB cable, choosing the "Like a USB drive" method.

Then turn on USB.

After that, 2 additional “disks” will appear in the “Computer” folder on the PC - the internal memory of the phone and the SD card. To start a scan, open the context menu of each drive and click "Check for viruses".

Removing malware using Android Commander

Android Commander is a program for exchanging files between a mobile android gadget and a PC. Running on a computer, it provides the owner with access to the memory of a tablet or phone, allows you to copy, move and delete any data.

For full access to all the contents of the android gadget, you must first obtain root rights and enable USB debugging. The latter is activated through the service application "Settings" - "System" - "Developer Options".

Next, connect the gadget to the PC as a USB drive and run Android Commander with administrator rights. In it, unlike Windows Explorer, protected system files and directories of the Android OS are displayed - just like, for example, in Root Explorer - a file manager for root users.

The right half of the Android Commander window shows the directories of the mobile device. Find the executable file of the application (with the .apk extension) that is causing the problem in them and delete it. Alternatively, copy suspicious folders from your phone to your computer and scan each of them with an antivirus.

What to do if the virus is not removed

If the above operations did not lead to anything, the malware still makes itself felt, and also if the operating system has ceased to function normally after cleaning, you will have to resort to one of the radical measures:

reset with restoration of factory settings through the system menu;
hard reset through the Recovery menu;
flashing the device.

Any of these methods will bring the device to the state as after purchase - it will not have any user programs, personal settings, files and other information (data about SMS, calls, etc.). Your Google account will also be deleted. Therefore, if possible, transfer the phone book to the SIM card and copy paid applications and other valuable items to external media. It is advisable to do this manually - without using special programs, so as not to accidentally copy the virus. After that, proceed to the "treatment".

Restoring factory settings through the system menu

This option is the easiest. It can be used when the functions of the operating system and the device itself are not blocked.

Go to the Settings app, open the "Personal" - "Backup" section and select "Reset with factory settings".

Hard reset via Recovery menu

A “hard” reset will help deal with malware if it is not removed by any of the listed methods or has blocked the login. To our delight, access to the Recovery menu (system restore) is preserved.

Logging into Recovery on different phones and tablets is carried out in its own way. On some, you need to hold down the “Volume +” key when turning it on, on others - “Volume -”, on the third - press a special recessed button, etc. The exact information is contained in the instructions for the device.

In the Recovery menu, select the option "wipe data / factory reset" or simply "factory reset".

flashing

Flashing is essentially a reinstallation of the Android OS, the same last resort as reinstalling Windows on a computer. It is resorted to in exceptional cases, for example, when a certain Chinese virus is embedded directly into the firmware and lives on the device from the moment it was “born”. One such malware is the android spy 128 origin spyware.

To flash a phone or tablet, you will need root rights, a distribution kit (the firmware itself), an installation program, a computer with a USB cable, or an SD card. Remember that each gadget model has its own, individual firmware versions. They usually come with installation instructions.

How to Avoid Virus Infection of Android Devices

Install mobile applications only from trusted sources, refuse hacked programs.
Update your device as system updates are released - in them, developers close vulnerabilities that are used by viruses and trojans.
Install a mobile antivirus and keep it always on.
If the gadget serves as your wallet, do not allow other people to access the Internet from it or open unverified files on it.

The problem of mobile device security is one of the most relevant today. There are many questions about the protection of personal data on your phone. Not everyone can find the answer to them. Most malicious programs are ads and banners, but even among them there are extremely unpleasant viruses, the purpose of which is to extort money from your mobile account, make purchases and transfers from your bank card linked to your account, and also copy your personal information: contacts , photo, video, SMS - messages. So how do you remove a virus from your phone? First, let's figure out how to understand that the device is infected:

Banner ads appear. This is an adware virus. Ads, alerts come to the desktop, in the browser even when you are not online.
The smartphone downloads and installs applications on its own.
Materials on the map or in the internal storage are not available: damaged or deleted.
Some applications do not work properly, “fly out”, spontaneously close.
The phone overheats and drains quickly.
There were SMS mailings to unfamiliar numbers, advertising. This is an SMS virus that is dangerous for the possible leakage of personal data.

The article describes tips on how to properly remove a virus from Android and not only. Let's look at a few options.

Antivirus check

Smartphone scanning via computer

It's no secret that viruses that infect the PC operating system are much more diverse and dangerous than their "little brothers" on Android. Let's remember the same Petya virus that hit corporate computers around the world and caused huge damage to management companies. It is precisely because of such moments that the antiviruses that protect your PC are much more powerful and more productive. To check your mobile device with PC antivirus, in the "Settings" menu, check the box next to "USB Debugging". Then connect your smartphone to the computer via USB cable and scan the PC with antivirus. Despite the fact that mobile viruses have a different program code, the defender on the computer can easily cope.

Removing a virus manually

This removal option involves monitoring malware through the running applications manager to determine the infected file. First you need to go to the "Settings" menu and open the "Application Manager". After that, find the "Running Applications" tab and see which ones are currently running.

Be careful! When using this method, it is possible to close "healthy" system programs, which can lead to incorrect operation of the mobile OS. After you have found an unknown program, find the root folder with the infected .apk file and delete it. After all these operations, reboot the device.

Removing a virus from an Android phone in safe mode

Sometimes the program blocks the system functions of the device and the malicious file is not removed. Then you need to go into safe mode, in which only system applications are launched. For this:

hold down the smartphone's power key until a window appears prompting you to turn off the device;
long tap on the "Disable" option. The "Go to Safe Mode" icon will appear;
wait until the phone reboots;

remove applications and files that you could not remove before.

The possibility that the activity of the removed malware will resume is minimal.

Factory reset

If it is not removed by other means, this way to remove viruses is the latest and most radical. When using a factory reset, all information stored on your smartphone will be destroyed, and the phone will return to its original form in which you purchased it. In order to save all the information, we recommend copying it either to the cloud storage or to your PC. This type of wrestling is the simplest and most effective, and is also suitable for "beginners".

How not to get infected?

It is impossible to protect one hundred percent against infected files, but you can significantly protect yourself from possible risks. To do this, you should follow a few rules:

Viruses on a smartphone are removed quite easily and quickly, but it is still better to avoid such situations and adhere to the safety rules listed above.

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