I get paranoid about this. Someone else already hacked my bank account twice in January to buy things from a store in New York where I’ve never been.
I also keep getting pop ups saying Congratulations you’ve won! And it’s annoying.
1 Like
Generally, no. They’re not normally designed to do that.
1 Like
Only if they have unprotected sex
2 Likes
Yes. (I have a degree in this.) Run antivirus on all your Windows, Linux, Android, and MacOS machines. I haven’t found an antivirus for iPhone yet, but it’s hard to hack an iPhone.
1 Like
By just passing (potentially malicious) traffic through, it is very unlikely. After all, routers on the Internet are relaying tons of malicious traffic everyday without getting compromised themselves.
However the danger begins when your computer itself gets compromised from a malicious file downloaded via torrents, and from there the malware on your computer could compromise other hosts on your network such as your phone.
You should assume that any passwords or data that you type into your tablet is visible to the attackers. So once you stop using the tablet for good (or do a factory reset on it), change all your passwords (if you change your passwords and keep using the tablet then they will simply see the new passwords).
You also need to consider how the virus got onto your tablet in the first place. While it’s common on Windows for viruses to get in through email attachments or media files, this is far less common in Android. Chances are higher that you downloaded some game from the app store that has a virus in it.
One of the nice things about Android is that when you log into your Google account for the first time on a new device, it’ll automatically download all your apps. In your case, it’ll also bring the virus-game with it and PRESTO! Infected.
1 Like
It’s certainly possible for an infected tablet or smartphone to infect a PC once it’s plugged in, especially if a Windows PC has auto-run enabled, but it’s not a common tactic among hackers.
1 Like
The thing about Android is that sometimes virii infect the ROM, and there’s no getting rid of the virus except by installing a custom ROM (which can be risky for multiple reasons) or buying an entirely new phone. Like you said, if the app you downloaded has a virus in it, then as soon as you hook up your new phone to your Google account, the process starts all over again.
Can a virus transfer to your other electronics?
No. Getting into a heated debate on the internet and then making burnt toast is just a coincidence. 
This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.