Xiaomi’s mobile devices, which run on the MIUI-enclosed Android operating system, are often targeted by malware. Users notice the strange behavior of the gadget: a sudden appearance of advertising, a quick battery drain or spontaneous opening of applications. Understanding how to find a virus on the phone is the first step to restore the normal operation of the device.
Malware can enter the system through downloaded from unverified sources APK-It is important not to ignore the first signs of infection, as some types of Trojans can steal sensitive data, including bank passwords. Data security in a modern smartphone is in the first place, so you need to act quickly.
In this article, we will discuss effective methods for diagnosing and cleaning a Redmi or Poco smartphone from threats. You will learn which tools are built into the system by default and when to resort to radical measures.
The main symptoms of smartphone infection
The first sign of malware penetration is often intrusive advertising that pops up even on the desktop or in the system menus, which is an indication of the work of adware viruses that are embedded in the system processes. If you haven't installed content-generating applications, but the ads appear, then there is a hidden agent in the system.
A marked decline in performance and overheating of the case without active load also indicate a problem: Miner viruses or botnets use the CPU resources in the background, which leads to temperature spikes. Xiaomi smartphone should not heat up at rest.
Pay attention to traffic consumption and battery power, and if statistics show that an unknown application is consuming huge amounts of data or power, that's a wake-up call, and often these programs disguise themselves as system processes with similar names.
- 📉 A sharp drop in battery autonomy in a short period.
- 📢 The appearance of banner ads in unexpected places of the interface.
- 🔒 Locking the screen with the requirement to unlock through SMS transfer.
- 📲 Spontaneous installation of applications or opening tabs in the browser.
⚠️ Warning: If a message appears on the screen on behalf of the police or the security services demanding payment of a fine, in no case transfer money.
Sometimes malware hides its icons in the launcher but keeps working. Check the list of recently installed programs, even if you don't remember their installations. Some viruses masquerade as system utilities like Flash Player or Clearer.
Accurate diagnostics require process verification with known system services. Using third-party monitoring tools can help identify anomalies in network activity. Analyzing device behavior provides more information than just checking files.
📊 Have you noticed the strange behavior of your phone?
Yeah, the commercial pops up.
No, it's working fine.
The phone started warming up.
The battery runs out in a couple of hours.
Use of built-in security scanner
The MIUI shell already has a powerful built-in antivirus developed in conjunction with Avast or AVL. To run it, you need to open the standard Security app, which has a green icon with a shield, which is the first tool you should use if you suspect an infection.
Once you start the application, click on the Scan or Security Check button, and the system will check all installed applications, system files and memory for known virus signatures, a process that takes a few minutes and does not require an Internet connection, although updating the databases is desirable.
If a threat is found, the system will prompt the removal of a malicious file or application. In most cases, the built-in scanner successfully copes with typical threats.
It is important to update the virus databases in the Security settings regularly. New threats appear daily, and the relevance of antivirus signatures is critical. Without updates, the effectiveness of protection is greatly reduced.
How to update the antivirus database?
Go to the Security app, click on three dots in the corner or the settings gear. Select "Update antivirus databases." Make sure that the automatic update option is enabled.> The built-in scanner also checks the permissions of applications, if the program requests access to contacts or SMS The system can flag her as suspicious without needing to, and permission control is an important part of protecting privacy. ⚠️ Attention: The built-in scanner may not detect complex encryption viruses or polymorphic Trojans that change their code, and in such cases, assistance from third-party solutions is required. Manual search for hidden applications Some malware does not appear in the general application list, but their processes are visible in the system settings. To find them, go to the Settings menu. → Annexes → All applications. Look carefully for strange names or missing icons. Often viruses disguise themselves as system processes using names like System Service, Wi-Fi Tool or Google Update, but with spelling errors. Compare a suspicious app to the official Google and Xiaomi service names. Any inconsistency should alert you. If you find an app without an icon or with a suspicious name, click on it and select Delete. If the delete button is inactive, then the virus has received device administrator rights. In this case, you must first withdraw the right. Process name Status Action com.android.systemui System Do not touch com.google.android.gms System Do not touch Flash Player Update Suspicious Delete Security Plugin Suspicious Delete To revoke administrator rights go to Settings → Passwords and security → Confidentiality → Special rights of access → Device administrators: uncheck the suspicious app, and then it can be removed in the standard way, and it's also worth checking the list of apps with access to special features, and viruses often use this section to intercept control of the screen. Disable access for all unknown programs in the menu Special features. Analysis through Google Play Protect Google Play Protect is built into the app store and works at the operating system level. It automatically checks all apps that are installed and scans the device periodically. To start manually checking, open the Google Play Store app. Click on the profile avatar in the top corner and select Play Protection. Here you will see the status of the device's verification. If there are threats, the system will prompt them to be removed. Press the "Check" button to start a full scan. This method is effective against applications known to the Google database. However, it can miss malicious code downloaded outside the app store. Play Protect is a layer of protection, not a primary protection. 🛡️ Automatic check of all downloads APK-file. 🔍 Scanning of installed applications in the background. 🚫 Blocking known malicious sites in the Chrome browser. 📉 Ability to remotely lock the device when stolen. Make sure that Play Protect has the option “Improving malware protection” enabled in its settings, which will allow Google to send data about installed applications to the server for analysis. Cloud protection significantly improves detection efficiency. If Play Protect detects an application but cannot remove it, try doing so in Safe Mode.This will prevent malicious code from running when the system starts.Safe Mode activates the off buttons or through the reboot menu. ⚠️ Note: If Google Play Protect is constantly finding and removing the virus, but it appears again, then there is a hidden installer in the phone. If the built-in tools did not help, use specialized antiviruses from well-known vendors such as Kaspersky, Dr.Web or ESET. Download the installer only from the developer’s official website or from Google Play. Installation from unverified sources can make things worse. Third-party antiviruses often have deeper access to the file system and can find what standard tools missed. They also check files in the download folder and browser cache. Many antiviruses offer anti-virus and real-time protection against phishing sites. These are useful additions, but for a one-time check, the free version is enough. 💡Use Dr.Web Light or Kaspersky Internet Security for Android. They show high effectiveness against Trojans common in the CIS region. It is important to remove the antivirus after use, unless you plan to use its features constantly. Several active antiviruses can conflict with each other and slow down Xiaomi. Leave only one security complex. Isolating the device during treatment increases the chances of success. Radical measures: reset and flashing If none of the methods helped get rid of the virus, the last option is a complete reset to the factory (Hard Reset). This action will remove all data from your phone, including photos, contacts and apps, so be sure to back up important files. → The phone. → Setting reset. Select "Erase all data." The phone will reboot and begin a cleanup process that may take up to a few hours. 10-15 After that, the device will be like new. In particularly difficult cases, when the virus is registered in the system partition, you may need to flash the device through the computer. This uses the Mi Flash Tool utility and the official firmware from the MIUI bootloader site. This method requires technical skills. fastboot flash recovery recovery.img fastboot reboot Before resetting, make sure that the battery is up early.