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True or false: You need antivirus protection for your phone

I wrote about tech myths recently and missed a big one: “Phones can’t get viruses.”

Of course they can! Your phone is basically a mini-computer and a prime target for hackers. Let’s break down how these threats work and where they come from.

Red flags your phone is infected

The signs vary depending on what your device is infected with, of course. But these symptoms spell trouble:

Data spike? Malware could be eating up your bandwidth.
Sluggish phone, crashing apps? Not a good sign.
Random pop-ups? That’s classic malware behavior.
Battery draining fast? Something shady could be running in the background.
Phone overheating? Malware might be overworking it.
Weird charges on your bill? You may be signed up for something you never agreed to.
New apps you didn’t install? Hackers may have added them.
Homepage or search engine changed? That’s a red flag.
Friends getting odd messages from you? Your phone could be compromised.
Random restarts or shutdowns? Malware loves to mess with your system.

OK, how’d that happen?

Malware, adware, spyware and all the other types of malicious software generally come from a few places.

🔗 You clicked on a malicious link that arrived through a phishing email, text, messaging or social media app, or spoofed website. Security 101: Never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited messages.

📲 You downloaded a bad app. Scammers are good at creating fraudulent apps that look like the real thing. While these can end up in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, they’re most often distributed through third-party app sites. Only download apps from official app stores, please and thank you!

📶 You connected to public Wi-Fi. Cybercriminals can use public Wi-Fi to spy on unsuspecting users. They could steal your bank password, credit card details or Social Security number and infect your device with malware.

So, do you need antivirus software?

The answer is clear: Yes! While your phone has some built-in safeguards to protect you, the more help you can get, the better.

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Well isn’t that smart

Sweet pants hangers ($17) that don’t take up nearly as much space.
The best hand cream! O’Keefe’s is cheap, unscented and doesn’t leave your hands greasy. They make a lip repair balm, too!
Don’t let a lunch mishap ruin your favorite shirt. Grab a Tide pen stain remover ($7.88). I used one to get mascara off a white T-shirt the other day!
Not much space? These shelves (two for $20) that go over your power socket are genius.
No more jumbled mess of cords for me. I stuck my blow dryer and curling iron in basket that hangs from the cabinet (19% off).

⭐ Your new BFF in the kitchen: A metal scraper you can use to move veggies from the cutting board to the pan, scrape gunk off the counter, cut dough, whatever.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

“Bossware” is big now: This software demand is up 54% and lets your boss watch what you do all day. For about $6 per month per person, it tracks what you type, takes screenshots of your computer throughout the day and even records video through your webcam. Smile!

3.1%

Odds of a “city killer” asteroid hitting Earth in 2032. That’s like guessing the right coin flip five times in a row. The 300-foot space rock could explode with 500 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb. The James Webb Space Telescope gets a closer look next month.

📅 Don’t RSVP: If you get a random Google Calendar invite, don’t click on any links. Scammers are tricking folks with Gmail accounts into sharing their personal info through a fake support page. Legit invites come from calendar-notification@google.com. Report phishing: Hit the three-dot icon in the right-hand corner.

2 in 2,000

People could spot every deepfake image and video of faces. About 39% of people over 65 hadn’t even heard of deepfakes, and 60% of younger people (18-34) were way too confident they could spot fakes. Take the quiz yourself.

🍸 Shaken, not stirred: The Broccoli family has produced every James Bond film since 1962. In 2022, they sold the rights to Amazon for $8.5 billion (as part of the MGM acquisition). After years of power struggles, Amazon now has creative control and hopefully we’ll see a new James Bond soon. Speaking of … Where do James Bond actors go when they die? 00Heaven. (So good!)

17 hours

For ransomware gangs to extort you after hacking your network. It used to take days or weeks. Now, some do it in as little as 4 hours. If you run a small or midsize business, you’re a target.

📺 Did Netflix cross a line? If you’ve seen “American Murder: Gabby Petito,” you heard Gabby reading her journals and texts. The filmmakers actually used AI to clone the murder victim’s voice. They say her family approved, but some are calling it “monstrous” to tell her story this way. What do you think?

Listen up, Workspace Teams: No more, “I didn’t know.” Your Google Meet AI notetaker is getting an upgrade. Now, meeting transcripts will include a checklist of suggested next steps, complete with tasks, due dates and assigned members.

💸 An older adult lost a whopping $2.09 million in a gold bar scam: But she’s getting 40% back. Morgan Stanley has to pay her $843K for failing to follow industry standards. Banks are supposed to flag big withdrawals and check with a trusted contact first. They didn’t.

$40,000

To become an NPC in Elder Scrolls 6 so far in the bidding. The game’s maker, Bethesda, is teaming up with Make-A-Wish in a silent auction to immortalize the winning bidder’s likeness as an NPC (non-playable character). Hurry, auction ends on Saturday at 6 p.m. EST.

2 days

Time it took AI to crack a 10-year-old mystery. Scientists spent a decade trying to figure out why “superbugs” resist antibiotics. Google’s new co-scientist bot took just a couple of days to spit out the correct answer. I hope they put it to work on cancer.

Bow wow: A former police officer is using a heat-seeking drone to track down missing dogs. So far, he’s reunited 42 dogs with their families. Here’s an adorable clip of a pup lost in the snow. His little tail wags like crazy when he sees his owner. I’m so excited that I’m getting a new puppy. Meet Bella.

31,000 miles

The longest undersea cable Meta wants to build. If you wrapped it around the equator, you’d have 6,000 miles left over. It’ll speed up the internet, but Meta’s main goal is boosting their AI capabilities.

💰 Armed rideshares are popping up everywhere: The new Protector app (iPhone only) lets you book armed guards and Escalades to chauffeur you around for $200 an hour. Think Uber, but with active or retired law enforcement and military officers behind the wheel. BlackWolf hires military and law enforcement too.

Craigslist scam: The guy listed a luxury Palm Beach apartment for $950/month (red flag because it actually costs $5,200/month), and a couple took the bait. The scammer gave them a tour and handed over the keys so it seemed legit. Turns out the real owner had left them in the door for a handyman. Argh.

😱 Robin Hood: Hackers dropped a toolkit that permanently unlocks almost all versions of Windows (7 and up), plus Office 2013 to 2024. They’re giving it away for free because “profiting from piracy is not good.” How ethical. Go with the free LibreOffice instead.

63%

Lawyers that have used AI in cases. Only around 12% use it regularly. Bots like ChatGPT can make up fake cases in court docs. One lawyer was fined $2,000 and had to take a class on how to use AI for law.

Whoa, it’s not an iPhone SE 4! Apple’s newest budget model ($599) is the iPhone 16e. It’ll have a 6.1-inch OLED screen, 48MP Fusion Camera, 5G modem, Apple Intelligence and a beefier A18 chip. What’s missing? MagSafe, the old Home Button and zippy Wi-Fi 7. Preorders start on Friday. Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE were discontinued, too.