A leading cyber-expert told The U.S. Sun how “malware” on your Android or iPhone will typically pose as a legitimate app.

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But they’re quietly stealing your info or money in the background.

Worse still, malware apps can often slow your Android or iPhone performance down – and even drain its battery life.

Dr Klaus Schenk, senior vice president, security, and threat research at Verimatrix, explained how five popular app categories are often used to get dangerous malware onto your phone.

“Malicious actors often employ various tactics to hide malware or spyware within seemingly innocent applications,” Dr Klaus told us.

“One common approach is to embed malware into “dropper” apps, which can then silently install the harmful code on the user’s device.

“Popular app categories that have been known to contain malware include PDF viewers, calculators, converters, games, and QR code readers.

But that’s not all.

There’s also a sixth type of download that you should look out for: popular apps.

Often cyber-criminals will disguise their dangerous apps as popular downloads like WhatsApp or Twitter.

“Another method is repackaging legitimate apps, such as popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, with injected malware, exploiting the trust users place in familiar applications,” Dr Klaus warned.

“To protect oneself from such threats, it is advisable to utilize official platform app stores – avoid sideloading apps from untrusted sources.

“And carefully read user reviews that mention no signs of fraudulent activity.”

If you notice an app acting strangely, check on its activity and the permissions it’s been granted in your settings.

It’s best to delete an app if you think it’s suspicious – especially if you never or rarely use it.