You may be seeing the name “Judy” popping up in stories related to Android apps – and it's not a welcome sight for IT managers and business owners who issue Android devices to their employees or use them in their everyday work.

An estimated 36.5 million Android users were victimized by malware from a seemingly-innocent set of games (featuring a cartoon character named Judy) offered through Google Play. Once the games were installed on the device, a hidden piece of malware then causes the device to click on all kinds of Google ads as a means of generating bogus revenue. It's just one potent example of the dangers posed to this popular smartphone platform – and why you should be smart about protecting your organization's Android devices.

First and foremost, you need to govern which apps end up on those smartphones, and where those apps came from. Avoiding new apps that nobody seems to have experience with is a great start; don't be a guinea pig! You also want to skip the small or no-name app providers – but as “Judy” demonstrates, even Google Play is no guarantee of safety against spyware, bots and other potentially serious “germs.”

It pays to reinforce your devices' safety by installing the appropriate anti-virus protection. Updating the OS regularly with the recommended patches is another important step in safeguarding your Android gear. Gravity Systems can make this ongoing process easy and trouble-free so you can concentrate on using your devices instead of tweaking them. Our Austin IT managed services team can evaluate your mobile device usage and help you keep your fleet of devices as safe and up-to-date as possible. Contact us today so we can talk about smart strategies for keeping “Judy” and other secret dangers out of your mobile computing routine!

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