might you recommend an antivirus or antimalware for android?

Discussion in 'other anti-virus software' started by mantra, Jun 26, 2015.

  1. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    Hi

    i used android mobile for years ,installing apps only from google play

    but i read that there are risks to have the phone contamined by malware

    do you use anti virus/malware ?

    is usefull have at least one installed?

    might you recommend an app ?

    i own a galaxy s5 and s3
    thanks
     
  2. Banzi

    Banzi Registered Member

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    Unless you are downloading apk files from dodgy sites you don't really need a AV on android. I have never used on in over 5 years of using android phones.
     
  3. subhrobhandari

    subhrobhandari Registered Member

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    I use Virustotal and Webroot. Also using F-Droid is a good idea too.
     
  4. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    HI
    don't they slow down your phone?
     
  5. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    Hi Banzi
    i tried to scan an apk , and i'm sure it contains malware , for virus total or www.metascan-online.com is 100% clean
     
  6. subhrobhandari

    subhrobhandari Registered Member

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    Webroot is really low on resources and usually swiftkey keyboard takes more battery than that. It doesnt slow things down, at least thats my experience. Virustotal only scans the apps on-demand.
     
  7. zapjb

    zapjb Registered Member

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    Sophos is king on Android lately ime.
     
  8. Overkill

    Overkill Registered Member

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  9. Banzi

    Banzi Registered Member

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    If you get your apps from the play store then AV is pretty much a waste of resources & battery, like I said the danger is if you download apk files from the many pirate apk sites. Another tip is to always check the reviews in the play store as far back as possible. I think VirusTotal can detect malware in apk files so if the file comes back clean then it mostly likely is clean.
     
  10. toxinon12345

    toxinon12345 Registered Member

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    using este mobile security 3, no slowdowns observed
     
  11. Minimalist

    Minimalist Registered Member

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    I use ESET also with no slowdowns...
     
  12. Rolo42

    Rolo42 Registered Member

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    I've used Avast and liked it. I got ESET at a giveaway and like that better and it caught a couple of PUPs (from either Google or Amazon). I use them more for the anti-theft than for anti-malware.

    I don't know if/how any repos check their offerings (beyond if something is reported, it'll be checked/removed) so I don't trust anything that isn't widely accepted.

    I use F-Droid for AdAway.

    I use Xprivacy to lock down everything (don't know if you could put that on your S5 though but you can on your S3).
     
  13. ugly

    ugly Registered Member

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  14. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    The reality is that is malware on Android is few and far between. In the past few years of using Android devices, I've installed over 800 apps from Google Play. I use many different 3rd party apps stores to install apps and updated already installed apps, including Google apps and services to more recent versions than are available from Google Play. I've also installed quite a few apps manually via apk files.

    Despite, all of the above, I've never got infected. I've used forty different antiviruses (yes, I know I've got much spare time), and they have never found any malware. Avast once found a harmless PUP, and once in a while an antivirus has fixed a system vulnerability, or found some adware, but, never have they found anything malicious.

    If you're going to use an antivirus then as @ugly suggested take a look at the reviews at av-test. No antivirus will slow down your phone. Some may impact battery life slightly (most won't make much a difference), but if you take a look at the user reviews at Google Play, you will see if people are finding any issues with an antivirus.

    Right now I use the inbuilt antivirus powered by Kingsoft, which is included with the MIUI custom ROM I've installed on my phone. If there was no included antivirus, I probably wouldn't install one myself.

    So, to conclude, there is no major need to install security software on Android devices. But it won't hurt to install an antivirus as it won't impact the performance of your phone.
     
  15. Rolo42

    Rolo42 Registered Member

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    I agree that the chances are low; however, burglaries are few and far in-between; do you lock your doors?

    In addition to the aforementioned anti-theft measures, other security issues are IM spam and, of course, e-mail, and anything a browser can touch. Some of these products handle more than just APK scanning.

    Of course, if you aren't rooted and really controlling permissions (Xprivacy), you're personally identifiable information is already being collected by most apps that aren't malware. The question then becomes, what do they do with it (marketing/selling) and how secure are they?
     
  16. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi
    eset it's free only for 30days ,isn't it?
    sophos looks a great app
     
  17. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi
    yes i agree , i know i have downloaded an app with malware , and uploaded to virus total , and for them it's 100% clean
     
  18. Minimalist

    Minimalist Registered Member

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    No, it's free forever but free version lacks some features.
     
  19. RejZoR

    RejZoR Lurker

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    avast!, because it's good and has other useful features like really good firewall if you have rooted phone (to control apps connecting to net) and app locking as well as anti-theft features. In all honesty, I'm using avast! mostly because of those, anti-malware is more of a bonus here really...

    I have it all locked down, can't remove apps without password, can't access settingsw ithout password and can't access Authentication tool without password. I think it's a smart to protect these things...
     
  20. dansorin

    dansorin Registered Member

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    Using Sophos for almost a year now, very happy with it.
     
  21. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi , but can the desktop antivirus scan for example .apk ?
    i tried but seems they can't do it
     
  22. Minimalist

    Minimalist Registered Member

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    It probably depends on desktop AV that you are using. They probably scan those files as non-executable files only since they can't be launched on non-android desktop. Though, I don't know if AV vendors add signatures for apk files on desktop versions of their software.
     
  23. GakunGak

    GakunGak Registered Member

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    Read product description of each one, compare battery utilization, features etc...
    I personally use https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qihoo.security&referrer=qihoo_id=104988 which prolongs battery, av protection, exploit protection, sms protection, privacy and applock, gps locator, firewall, standby phone optimization, very light on the phone doesn't slow it down, and protection coverage provided by very large number of users:

    http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...14-unaudited-financial-results-300047613.html
    • Total smartphone users of Qihoo 360's primary mobile security product[4] reached a record 744 million in December 2014, compared to 467 million in December 2013[5]
     
  24. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    Just upload that APK to VirusTotal, and read every permission carefully if need be.

    The only reason I have an AV is because I'm lazy sometimes and love the other features.
     
  25. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi
    yes i did , i uploaded an apk (i know there is malware inside) but for all the av it's perfect cleano_O
     
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