Can application be installed on an Android phone without confirmation, just by visiting or clicking links on page?


Question

I went on putlocker and then got some popup saying something about system error and then another one like this:



enter image description here



At that moment I turned off my phone. But before I got to the screen above, I think I clicked something like "find more details" on the scam page. I was googling a bit and of course I found this is a scam, tricking me into installing malware. The question now is, is it OK, or has anything been installed on my phone? I read this page, and they write:




The virus infection pop up is a fake and touching it will redirect you
to another page that may automatically download an APK file that would
automatically install an app that contains the virus on your phone
... As I told earlier, apps containing malware can be automatically
installed on your phone and in this case, you need to uninstall it
immediately before it can create more issues.




Hmmm, this is strange - is it actually possible for a webpage to install something on your phone without confirmation? I think I clicked something in the scam page, but I am SURE I didn't confirm any installation.


Answer

The app can be automatically downloaded, however Chrome does warn you before downloading an APK file. So, that's check one.



Next, any app package (apk) which you try to install outside of Play Store requires your consent before the installation is started.



And you also need to enable "Unknown Sources" before such an app can even start the installation.



So, going by these checks, yes the file can automatically download on your phone. But I'm not buying that it will install automatically as well. Your phone should be clean right now if you haven't installed the app.



Just check your downloads and remove any unknown APK package that you see. Thereafter, start using your phone normally without worrying.


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