How to remove a virus from an Android phone: A few simple steps. How to remove a virus from Android

If you are tired of installing and uninstalling antiviruses, downloading antivirus databases and activating keys, turn to online antiviruses. Checking files for viruses without installation is a completely worthy alternative to traditional scanners.

We have selected half a dozen reliable, free and effective anti-virus scanners that work online - that is, through a browser. This way you can find out if there is a virus on your phone without downloading third-party programs.

Which web service should you choose for a one-time check? Is online antivirus suitable for Android? Read about all this in our review.

List of online antiviruses:

Powerful online scanner Doctor Web

Doctor Web Online scans files on websites

This service is designed to check security links. You paste a link to a suspicious site into a special text field, and Doctor Web scans the attached files on the html page, examining whether there is malicious code. As a rule, a virus threat on online resources is hidden in javascript files. If scripts are contained in the database of malicious sites or the site redirects to another resource, Doctor Web Online will notify you about this.

As you can see, the service is very minimalistic; there is only a web-based antivirus shell, which is not very convenient. It would be good if the Doctor Web service acquired, say, an Android application for online checking or, ideally, a browser add-on. At this time, we would not recommend the online version of antivirus for use on a phone.

Tip of the day. By the way, if you need a good free antivirus to scan your computer (or memory card/flash drive) for viruses, without downloading additional applications, we recommend. It uses the current databases of the desktop version of Doctor Web, while the functional part is reduced to a minimum.

ESET Online Scanner - online file scan for viruses

ESET's antivirus scanning service is a comprehensive and effective antivirus. It works from a browser, scanning files and does not require installation on a computer.

Unlike the desktop version of ESET Nod, this web antivirus is free to use. Don't think that it doesn't make sense to require a full-fledged scanner from a web application. According to the creators, the online antivirus successfully copes with Trojans, the latest viruses, worms, and phishing threats.

The user can select files on the computer disk to scan, specify memory areas, etc. Moreover, to run an online check, you do not need to have administrator rights.

At the end of the search, ESET Online Scanner offers to remove the found viruses or quarantine infected files.

In general, cleaning viruses using ESET Online Scanner web antivirus makes sense in many cases. In particular, if you want to scan someone else’s computer, check a flash drive for malicious files online, but you do not have the rights (or desire) to install applications.

How to scan a file for viruses in ESET Online, video instructions

VirusTotal - total online scanning of files for viruses

Online scanner VirusTotal

VirusTotal is another free service that checks for viruses online. It scans the contents of files and code of sites on the Internet. VirusTotal scans any suspicious content for worms, malware, Trojans and other types of pests and viral threats.

Video on how to use the service:

VirusTotal also allows you to search for threats in comments that users post on files and URLs, check passive DNS data, and retrieve threat information related to domains and IP addresses.

VirusTotal stores all analyzes in its database. This allows users to search for reports with MD5, SHA1, SHA256 data. Search results return the last crawl performed on the resource you are interested in.

Kaspersky Online Scanner (VirusDesk)

Kaspersky web scanner

Online service from the creators. Checks files and links on the Internet and does not require the installation of additional modules. When you download a file, Kaspersky scans it across its databases for existing threats and displays the result. In this case, md5, SHA1 and SHA256 hashes are checked. All databases are regularly updated, as evidenced by the corresponding inscription above the file upload field.

The result of the scan may be negative, in which case VirusDesk issues a status: the file is infected or suspicious.

Important! Unlike conventional antiviruses, you can only scan a file for viruses, and you cannot quarantine or automatically delete it - this can only be done manually.

This online antivirus is also suitable for checking your phone for viruses. You can upload files up to 50 MB; batch mode is not supported. The scanner does not remove viruses - the user must perform this action independently. At the same time, to perform a single scan, Kaspersky VirusDesk can become such a one-time antivirus, which is also not bad.

Video instruction:

VirSCAN - online antivirus for Android

Online antivirus VirSCAN.org

Using the VirSCAN.org service, it is possible to check Android for viruses online, as well as online scanning of files for malicious code.

For example, you can send apk applications or other files for verification (the size should not exceed 20 MB). These can be zip and rar archives or password protected (only the passwords “infected” and “virus” can be set).

The main and most significant feature of the VirSCAN online antivirus is a huge database of regularly updated scanners, including kaspersky, avg, drweb, symantec and others. Among other things, VirSCAN checks MD5 and SHA1 hashes against its databases.

The disadvantage of this online checking mechanism is the slow speed of operation, the absence of any settings (that would speed up the process) and the lack of scanning options: only downloading single files to scan for viruses is allowed.

AVC UnDroid – service for checking apk files

The free online service AVC UnDroid is designed to search for viruses in the contents of apk files. It uses scanning engines such as Buster Sandbox Analyzer, ssdeep and APKTool.

To check an apk for viruses, click the Select APK... button and download the installer file to check on your phone. AVC UnDroid supports data up to 7 MB in size, which is enough for most tasks.

Uploaded files are analyzed inside AVC UnDroid, after which the user receives a detailed scan report - file hashes, security rating and additional information.

Other data types are not supported and you can only upload one file at a time.

For convenience, you can register. This opens up access to statistics and comments, increases the limit on downloaded files and increases priority.

As stated in the terms of use, this online verification service is experimental. Downloaded apk files and their contents can be used by the service, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Conclusion. This article lists a small part of online services for checking files over the Internet. If this is not enough, we advise you to study our guide. Do you know other methods and services that will help detect infected code online? Share via the feedback form, we will be grateful!

Why did your mobile phone suddenly begin to behave differently than usual, or even take on a “life” of its own? 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 transfer funds from the owners’ accounts into their pockets. Let's talk about how to understand that a mobile device has caught an infection, how to remove a virus from Android and protect yourself from repeated infections.

Symptoms of a virus infection on an Android device

The gadget takes longer to turn on than usual, slows down, or suddenly reboots.
Your SMS and phone call history contains outgoing messages and calls that you did not make.
Money is automatically debited from your phone account.
Ads that are not associated with any application or site are displayed on your desktop or browser.
The programs are installed by themselves, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or the camera are turned on.
I lost access to electronic wallets, mobile banking, or for unknown reasons the amount in my accounts decreased.
Someone has taken over your account on social networks or instant messengers (if used on a mobile device).
The gadget is locked, and a message is displayed on the screen that you have violated something and must pay a fine or simply transfer money to someone to unlock it.
Applications suddenly stopped launching, access to folders and files was lost, and some device functions were blocked (for example, buttons could not be pressed).
When launching programs, messages like “an error occurred in the com.android.systemUI application” pop up.
Unknown icons appeared in the application list, and unknown processes appeared in the task manager.
The antivirus program informs you when malicious objects are detected.
The antivirus program has spontaneously deleted itself from the device or does not start.
The battery of your phone or tablet began to discharge 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 remains operational, the easiest way to remove the virus is to use the antivirus installed on Android. Run a full scan of the phone’s flash memory, and if a malicious object is detected, select the “Delete” option, saving the neutralized copy in quarantine (in case the antivirus detected something safe and mistook it for a virus).

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

the antivirus does not start, does not detect or does not 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 doing it safely. The majority of malicious programs (not just mobile ones) do not show any activity in safe mode and do not prevent destruction.

To boot your device into Safe Mode, press the On/Off button, place your finger on “Power Off” and hold it until the “Enter Safe Mode” message appears. After that, click OK.

If you have an old version of Android - 4.0 and lower, 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 simultaneously. Hold them down until the device 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.

This method successfully removes advertising viruses such as Android.Gmobi 1 and Android.Gmobi.3 (according to Dr. Web classification), which download various programs to the phone (in order to increase the rating), and also display banners and advertisements on the desktop.

If you have superuser rights (root) 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 restart the device.

Removing mobile viruses via computer

Removing viruses on a phone via a computer helps when a mobile antivirus cannot cope with its task even in safe mode or the device’s functions are partially blocked.

There are also two ways to remove a virus from a tablet and phone using a computer:

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

Using antivirus on your computer

To scan your mobile device files with an antivirus installed on your computer, connect your phone or tablet to the PC with a USB cable, selecting the “As a USB drive” method.

Then turn on USB.

After this, 2 additional “disks” will appear in the “Computer” folder on the PC - the internal memory of the phone and the SD card. To start scanning, open the context menu of each disk and click “Scan for viruses”.

Removing malware using Android Commander

Android Commander is a program for exchanging files between an Android mobile gadget and a PC. When launched on a computer, it provides the owner with access to the memory of a tablet or phone, allowing 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 your 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 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 malicious program still makes itself felt, and also if the operating system ceases 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 via the Recovery menu;
reflashing the device.

Any of these methods will return the device to the same state as after purchase - there will be no user programs, personal settings, files or other information (data about SMS, calls, etc.) left on it. 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 this, begin the “treatment”.

Restoring factory settings through the system menu

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

Go to the Settings application, open the Personal - Backup section and select Factory reset.

Hard reset via Recovery menu

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

Logging into Recovery works differently on different phones and tablets. On some, for this you need to hold down the “Volume +” key when turning on, on others - “Volume -”, on others - 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 reinstalling the Android OS, the same extreme measure as reinstalling Windows on a computer. It is resorted to in exceptional cases, for example, when a certain Chinese virus is embedded directly in the firmware and has been living on the device since its “birth.” One of such malware is the spyware android spy 128 origin.

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. Installation instructions are usually included with them.

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 exploited by viruses and Trojans.
Install a mobile antivirus and keep it always on.
If your gadget serves as your wallet, do not allow other people to use it to access the Internet or open unverified files on it.

It is impossible to imagine our existence without a telephone today. A convenient, compact, multifunctional smartphone with large RAM is our faithful companion and reliable assistant. But what to do if the device begins to fail? Spontaneous turning off/on, deletion of important information, freezing of the screen - all this indicates that the phone needs a serious check. The user of the device faces an acute question: how to clean the phone from viruses and debris?

Virus in a smartphone: how to recognize it and avoid trouble

The main causes of smartphone malfunctions:

Excess temporary files.
Remains of deleted applications.
Infection with viruses or malware.

Signs of a virus on a smartphone:

The phone takes a long time to load.
Intrusive advertisements constantly pop up on the screen.
Money is automatically debited from electronic wallets.
The battery drains quickly.
The screen is locked and a violation message appears. To fix the problem, a fine must supposedly be paid.
Access to files, folders and applications is limited.
Key lock.
Spontaneous installation/removal of programs.

And this is an incomplete list of problems. An antivirus installed on your smartphone will be able to cope with the problems. It is selected by the user, depending on personal preferences. The question of how to clean your phone from viruses yourself can be solved very simply. To do this you need:

Open the Play Market application and enter “Antivirus” in the search bar.
Choose the one you prefer most and install the application on your phone.
Open antivirus.
In the menu that opens, click the “Check” button.
Remove infected files.

In rare cases, it happens that the antivirus does not find any threats, but in fact there are some on the phone. Below we will look at how to clean your phone from viruses by deleting applications.

Steps to take when deleting applications:

Open your phone's settings by clicking on the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen.
In the menu that opens, click the “Application Manager” button.
Remove recently installed applications.

Performing these simple tasks will help protect your smartphone from unwanted threats. And then you will rarely look for ways to clean your phone from viruses.

Smartphones based on Android

Most smartphones are based on the Android operating system, which is the most unprotected in the world. According to statistics, more than 90% of virus infections occur in this area. It is enough to follow simple precautions and you will protect your smartphone from threats and malware:

Do not click on unfamiliar links sent via SMS or email.
The encryption method will help you save your important data.
Download applications and games only from trusted sources.
Restrict login by creating a password at startup. This way you will hide information from prying eyes.

These rules are more suitable for users, but the device itself remains vulnerable. For the smartphone to operate effectively, the following methods are used, which are presented below.

Ways to clean your phone from viruses on Android

How to clean your phone from viruses on Android? The first way is to get rid of garbage and unnecessary files using the system itself. To do this you need:

Open the phone menu and go to system settings.
Click on the “Storage” tab (go to the internal memory of the device).
Click on the “Cache Data” button and clear it.

After this simple procedure, you will have more than 200 MB of free space.

The second way to clean your phone from viruses is to install special programs. For example, SD Maid. This application has proven itself to be the most reliable and effective in cleaning the system from viruses and debris. Its job is to scan the entire file system, applications and the ability to find even those files that remain after removing a particular program or application.

Removing viruses via computer

It often happens that the antivirus does not perform its functions, and deleting applications does not fix the problem. Then the computer comes to the rescue. Let's take a closer look at ways to clean your phone from viruses via a computer.

The first is to remove threats through an antivirus installed on the computer. To do this, just connect your smartphone to your computer using a USB cable. New devices will appear in the My Computer folder - internal storage and SD card. When you open the menu of each of them, you need to click on the “Check for viruses” button. Detected threats must be eliminated immediately.

Additional ways to remove a virus from your phone

We have discussed several ways to clean your phone from viruses. An interesting fact: many smartphones, in particular the well-known Samsung brand, have a function that allows you to contact a service center if there are any problems with the phone, including the removal of malware.

How to clean a Samsung phone from viruses? You should go to safe mode and perform all actions while in it. To do this, press the on/off button of your mobile device and hold your finger until the “Safe Mode” window appears. After this, you need to scan the system with the antivirus installed on your phone and, if necessary, delete infected files.

Cleaning the memory card from viruses

Another important part of the phone needs scanning - the memory card. You can check the media using a computer or by switching your phone to safe mode.

If it was not possible to delete infected files for some reason, then the function of formatting the memory card comes to the rescue. In this case, all information from the media will disappear. To format, you need to click on the “My Computer” tab, select the required device and select the “Format” command. The memory card has been cleared.

Timely checking your phone for antiviruses and thoroughly cleaning it of debris will allow the device to operate quickly, efficiently, and uninterruptedly. You need to choose proven antiviruses and special programs that inspire the greatest degree of trust in you. To be more confident, you can read additional information on this issue. Be careful, follow simple rules for using a smartphone, and it will never let you down.

Our gadgets are protected from malware by a special program from Google. But it has small loopholes and infections of phones with the Android operating system are rare, but they do happen. Viruses almost always enter the system along with low-quality applications. There are several types of malware. Each of them will have to be dealt with differently. In this article you will find the easiest ways to remove viruses from your phone.

How to remove adware from Android

This type of malware is the most harmless. His task is to sell a product, not to damage the system. There are several ways to solve this problem.

Most often, an ad virus gets into the phone along with games. If you don't want to delete an interesting application, just block annoying ads. To do this, turn on airplane mode on your phone. Access to the Internet will be blocked, and without access to the network, advertising will not appear.

Scan your phone with antivirus. The most popular is Dr. Web. You can download it from Google play. It will easily detect and neutralize any advertising virus.

How to remove Trajan virus from Android

There are many types of “Trajan”. Some send SMS to paid numbers, others steal passwords or bank card numbers. Most often, the virus disguises itself as another, completely harmless application. To remove it, follow the following algorithm:

download a high-quality antivirus program onto your device, for example, Lookout;
scan your phone;
remove all suspicious applications that the antivirus detects.

How to remove a virus banner from Android

This type of malware completely blocks the phone from working. The virus demands a large sum of money to remove the banner. But it won't be difficult to get rid of it:

get a SIM card as soon as possible before money is withdrawn from your balance;
charge the switched off phone to 100%;
turn on the device;
as quickly as possible, before the virus banner appears, go to the settings;
find “For Developers”;
enable “USB Debugging”;
select the debug field containing the malicious banner;
remove the infected application;
return your phone settings to factory settings.

Thus, it is easy to eliminate the virus from any Android device. To prevent the appearance of malware in the future, install only popular applications and periodically scan your gadget with an antivirus.

Malicious applications (viruses) are the main problem of any operating system. The creators of the platform almost never manage to patch all the holes, as a result of which smart but dishonest people take advantage of these loopholes. This situation is observed on Windows, and for some time now viruses have begun to appear on Android. In this article we will talk about the essence of how such applications work, and also help you clean your device from viruses.

If there are a huge number of viruses on computers, then on mobile operating systems their variety is not too great. The most common types of malicious applications are the following, which we will help you remove from your tablet or smartphone:

The last two types of viruses are not very common, and they only spoil the visual impression of using a smartphone. But Trojans are much more vile and widespread creatures. They disguise themselves as some well-known games and programs. For example, a few weeks ago, Trojans masquerading as Pokemon Go appeared on the Internet. Such applications silently send SMS to expensive short numbers or collect information about messages stored on the device. They can also perform other malicious actions - for example, send information about the contacts contained in your phone book to the creators of the Trojan.

As for the advertising virus, it will definitely not steal information about your payment data. But he will regularly bother you with his regular appearance. The creators of such a virus earn money on every ad shown. This is very beneficial for them, but your nerves will constantly suffer.

A malicious banner operates using approximately the same system. It may appear when you go to any section of the operating system. At the same time, you can supposedly get rid of it only by transferring funds to the developers’ e-wallet or sending an SMS to a short number. But in fact, as you already understand, you can get rid of viruses on Android without losing money.

Trojan removal

Oddly enough, it is impossible to remove a particular virus using the built-in tools of the operating system if it has already entered the device. They are eliminated only after receiving security updates that patch the holes. These updates are usually sent out every one to two months. But this only applies to new smartphones, no more than two years have passed since their release.

If you suspect your device that a Trojan has leaked onto it, then try checking its memory with an antivirus. To do this, you can use some paid application. Or download the shareware from Google Play Lookout. Next, you will need the following actions:

Step 1. Wait for the installation to finish Lookout and launch the application.

Step 2. Agree with all the proposed points by clicking the " Further" However, you can not enable the beacon and some other functions by unchecking the corresponding item.

Step 3. Register - to do this, enter your email and create a password, then click the “ Enable protection».

Step 5. After this, Lookout will perform the first scan of the system for Trojans.

Step 6. Wait for the scan to finish. This way you will know whether all applications installed on your smartphone are safe.

Step 7 Nothing more is required from you. In the future, each new application will be scanned by an antivirus. All kinds of updates to already installed programs and games will also come under his supervision. If you download a Trojan, Lookout will definitely remove it, and at the same time notify you about it.

Removing adware

This type of virus interferes with the comfortable use of the device. At the same time, many are thinking about how to remove a virus from their phone. Such people do not understand that displaying advertising is a consequence, not a cause. You need to remove the application that spreads the virus throughout the system. The antiviruses we have already mentioned can cope with this task (be sure to read our article "The best antiviruses for Android"). Well, before downloading a suitable antivirus, you can try to block advertising. This is done, for example, by turning on the “Airplane” mode, when all means of communication stop working, as a result of which the advertisement simply cannot download the information necessary for its display. The transition to the above mode is most often carried out as follows:

Step 1. Open the notification panel.

Step 2. Activate the " In airplane» by clicking on the corresponding icon. This mode is sometimes called airplane mode.

It should be noted that the method of switching to this mode may differ on different smartphones. For example, some manufacturers build a corresponding option into the shutdown menu, which is displayed when you hold down the power button. This method is especially often used on older devices running Android 4.2 or an earlier version of the operating system.

Removing a malicious banner via a computer

You can use different methods to eliminate a malicious banner. The best way is to connect the device to the PC using debugging mode. The method consists of performing the following actions:

Step 1. Turn off your smartphone. It is advisable to then fully charge it.

Step 2. Turn on the device and perform further actions as quickly as possible before the ransomware banner has time to display.

Step 3. Go to " Settings».

Step 4. Go to the section " For developers».

Step 5. Enable USB debugging mode.

Step 6. Connect your smartphone to your computer using a USB cable.

Step 7 Next, the system will scan itself in the background. This way you can check Android for viruses via your computer. If some applications do not inspire trust in the system, it will offer to block them. If nothing happens, then you can only remove the virus from your phone using an antivirus or by returning to the factory settings (perform a Hard Reset).

How to protect yourself from viruses on your smartphone?

In fact, many people never encounter malicious apps on their phone. The secret to this lies in the fact that they adhere to the following rules:

No need to download and install applications from unknown sources. It is recommended to use only Google Play, where all utilities are moderated in some way.
You should not download new and completely unknown applications to your smartphone. Most often, Trojans are hidden in them.
You should definitely read the reviews. If a product contains a virus, reviews may indicate this.