Fun Run

Names and places mentioned herein are hypothetical.

It was a quiet Sunday evening. Amali gave her phone to her 10 year old son for a short while so he could play his favorite mobile game.

While switching between games and browsing, he clicked on a pop-up that said, “Download this for free coins!”. He eagerly downloaded it, thinking it would be fun.

After some time, when Amali tried using her phone, strange things started happening. Inappropriate websites began opening on their own, and the phone felt slower than usual.

Amali was worried and didn’t know what to do. She contacted Hithawathi for help.

Hithawathi team guided her to:

• First, install a trusted malware/antivirus app from the official app store (as the phone had no protection).
• Run a full antivirus scan and follow the app’s recommended actions.
• Uninstall the suspicious app immediately.
• Clear browsing history and cache, and sign out of any accounts used on the device.
• Update the phone’s operating system (OS) and apps, and change important account passwords in case any credentials were exposed.

With these steps, the phone was cleaned, and Amali felt relieved.

What Can We Learn?

• Never install apps from unknown links, pop-ups, or outside the official app store.
• Always supervise children’s use of smartphones especially when they are online.
• Enable parental controls or kids mode on devices to limit what can be downloaded or accessed.
• Keep your phone / device and OS up-to-date and install a trusted antivirus app.
• If something unusual happens, don’t ignore it.