How to check Xiaomi smartphone for viruses: a complete guide with expert advice

Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI HyperOS is often targeted by malware because of the popularity of the brand and the open ecosystem, and even if you only download apps from a store, the risk of catching the virus remains through phishing sites, fake ones. APK-In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to check the phone for viruses, from embedded tools to professional antiviruses, and also describe how to prevent infection in the future.

Xiaomi devices are unique in their own security system, which works in the background, but it is not always enough to detect complex threats such as spyware or mining viruses. We tested all methods on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13T models, and you will find the results and recommendations below.

1. built-in MIUI/HyperOS security scanner

The first and fastest way is to use the standard Security app (in newer versions it may be called Security & Privacy), which is pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones and does not require additional installation.

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon on the desktop or menu).
2. Go to the Scanner tab (Scan in English).
3. Click Virus Scan (Virus Scan)
4. Wait for the analysis to be completed (usually takes 1-3 minutes).

The built-in scanner checks:

• 🔍 Installed applications for known viruses (base updated via Xiaomi cloud).
• 📁 System files for changes (e.g., hosts substitution).
• 🚨 Suspicious activity in the background (e.g. sending) SMS pay-per-room).

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ No new threats are detected (the database is updated every 1-2 weeks).
• ❌ Not scanning. APK-Manual files (only installed applications).
• ❌ You may miss advertising software if it masquerades as legitimate services.

⚠️ If the scanner finds a threat called com.android.XXX (where) XXX — random characters, do not manually delete it through Settings → Applications: Some system processes MIUI You can be mistakenly identified as a virus. Use the Delete button directly in the Security app.

2. Manual check through Safe Mode (Safe Mode)

If the phone slows down, opens ads spontaneously, or overheats, the virus can hide among the installed applications. Safe Mode allows you to boot a system with third-party programs disabled, which helps to identify the source of the problem.

How to turn on:

1. Press the power button before the turn off menu appears.
2. Hold your finger on the "Switch off" (or "Switch off") option until a request to switch to Safe Mode appears.
3. Confirm the action - the phone will restart.

In safe mode:

• 🔎 Check if the symptoms of infection (advertising, brakes) have disappeared. If so, the virus is hiding among the installed applications.
• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Manage applications and sort the list by installation date (by time).
• 🗑️ Remove suspicious programs (especially those you haven’t installed or that have strange names, such as: com.system.update.v2).

⚠️ Warning: Safe Mode doesn't have a fingerprint or Face Unlock. To exit mode, just reboot your phone.

Verification through ADB (for experienced users)

If a virus blocks access to settings or masquerades as a system application, ADB (Android Debug Bridge) will help, which requires connecting the phone to a PC, but allows you to remove even those threats that are not visible in the standard interface.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your phone: go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install it. ADB-Drivers and open the command line in the folder with the platform-tools.
4. Execute the command for a list of all applications: adb shell pm list packages -f
5. Look for suspicious packages (e.g., com.android.update, com.system.secure).
6. Remove the virus by command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name packet

Signs of a virus packet in ADB:

• 📦 The name contains random symbols (com.a1b2.c3d4).
• 🔄 The installation date coincides with the start of problems on the phone.
• 🚫 No description in Google Play (check through search).

4. Third-party antivirus: which to choose for Xiaomi

The built-in MIUI tools are not always effective against modern threats. We tested 5 popular antiviruses on the Xiaomi 13 Lite — the results in the table below.

How to properly scan:

1. Install antivirus from Google Play (never download APK from third-party sites!).
2. Update virus databases manually (Settings → Base update).
3. Run a full check (not fast!).
4. Check the Threats or Quarantine section after scanning.

⚠️ Note: Some antiviruses (e.g. Avast) may conflict with Xiaomi's Security, causing lags. If the phone starts to brake after installation, turn off background protection in the antivirus settings.

💡

Before installing an antivirus, check its Google Play ranking. If the app has fewer than 4.5 stars or few reviews (less than 100K), it may be fake.

5. Manually checking the file system

Some viruses hide in folders with cache or downloaded files. Use a file manager (e.g. embedded Files or Solid Explorer) to manually check the files.

• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/Download — downloaded APK archives.
• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/Android/data — App data (look for folders with unfamiliar names).
• 📂 /storage/emulated/0/.thumbnails — Hidden files (may contain spyware modules).
• 📂 /system/app — System applications (root rights required to access).

Signs of infected files:

• 🔴.apk extension, but you didn't install this app.
• 🔴 Name files. update.zip, patch.apk, systemFix.jar.
• 🔴 Folders with random characters in the title (xx123ab).
• 🔴 Files that take up a suspiciously large amount of space (e.g, cache.bin size 500 MB).

If you find a suspicious file:

1. Don't open it!
2. Move it to a separate folder (for example, Virus_Quarantine).
3. Check it out via VirusTotal (upload the file to the site).
4. If the virus is confirmed, delete the file and clean the basket.

💡

Even if the antivirus does not find threats, manually checking /Download and /Android/data folders will help to identify hidden miners or spies.

6. Check network activity (traffic and connections)

Viruses often use the Internet to send data or download additional modules to detect suspicious activity.

1. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Traffic.
2. See which apps are consuming traffic in the background.
3. Look out for programs with unusual names or high consumption (e.g., 1 GB per day).

Also check the active connections:

1. Install NetGuard or GlassWire from Google Play.
2. Start monitoring network activity.
3. Look for connections to suspicious IP-Addresses (for example, in China, if you do not use Chinese services).

Examples of suspicious activity:

• 🌍 com.android.settings sends data to Hong Kong or Singapore.
• 📡 Unknown application uses the SOCKS-proxy.
• 🔄 Permanent connections to the same servers (e.g. 112.80.248.76 – known address for botnets).

⚠️ Note: If you find connections to IP-Addresses with ports 4444, 5555 or 7777 may indicate remote control of your phone.

7. factory reset (last resort)

If none of the methods worked, and the phone continues to behave suspiciously (introduces apps, sends SMS, overheats), there is a complete reset, which will delete all data, including viruses, but requires preliminary preparation.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Back up your important data (Settings → About Phone → Backup).
2. Make sure you have access to your Mi Account (confirmation will be required after the reset).
3. Go to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset → Resetting.
4. Choose to erase all data and confirm the action.

After reset, DO NOT restore data from the backup if it was created before the infection! the virus can return along with the recovered files.

If after the reset, there are problems:

• 🔧 This may be a hardware problem (e.g., damaged memory).
• 🛠️ Contact Xiaomi Service Center for Diagnostics.

FAQ: Frequent questions about viruses on Xiaomi