Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
Summary: Most products achieved 0% detection rate.
Free anti-malware apps for the Android operating system are 'near to useless' according to anti-malware testing specialists AV-Test.org.
The results of the testing [PDF download] were quite shocking, with most products achieving 0% detection rate. The best product, Zoner Antivirus Free, scored a miserable 32% in a manual scan and a more respectable 80% when it came to a real-time scan. And remember, this is the best of the free apps!
Data: AV-Test.org
The most popular free anti-malware app for Android (based on marketplace data) is Antivirus Free by Creative Apps with between 1,000,000 and 5,000,000 installations. This application scored an utterly miserable 0% on both the manual and real-time scan.
According to AV-Test, 'the circulation of obviously near to useless security apps endangers those, who trust them and install apps from 3rd party app markets without further suspiciousness.'
If you're relying on any of these apps, take note.
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Talkback
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
*I* don't need anti-virus on my phone... that's because it's an el-cheapo Nokia that really doesn't do much other than make phone calls, and literally has 10MB of storage space! If someone's phone is a general-purpose device (read: smartphone) capable of running arbitrary code and applications, then yes, they do need security/protection/anti-virus-malware-rootkit on their device. You're smart enough to know that, so please don't insult the rest of us by making a silly, unfounded claim like that.
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
Then why doesn't iPhone or WP7 need AV? In fact the one and only AV for WP7, was removed after it too was found to do nothing. And this one came from AVG!
NC
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
Well said...but u do know windows has Microsoft security essentials....which is free security solution...
and it works wonders...
People shouldn't need AVs on their phones
People shouldn't need AVs on their computers either.
I don't see Lookout on that list
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
Android like Linux is rock solid and does not need antivirus. that's only for windoze!
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
Hi SJVN :D
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
Not sure if trolling or plain stupid.
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
What a stupid statement !!
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
Yet another person who doesn't know what they are talking about, The Linux Foundation servers and kernel.org was hacked by a hacker... not by malware, and Linux isn't prone to malware... windows is.
Unless of course by being prone to malware you mean the user having the ability to install software, then yes every OS is prone to malware.
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
Another anti-MS troll? Windows isn't any more prone to malware than Linux is. Due to its market share, it's just targeted more. Yes, every OS is prone to malware, because one can install applications.
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
Oh let me guess - you are one of those who is going with the SJVN theory that it was a "malware laden PC" that brought down The Linux Foundation... please, spare me. As for me not knowing what I'm talking about, allow me to direct you to this link:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/attacks/231601225
and this quote from that article:
[i]"Given the password warning, did the Linux Foundation fail to secure the passwords, for example by storing them as plain text, rather than salting and hashing them? Not necessarily, said Paul Ducklin, head of technology for Sophos in the Asia Pacific region, in a blog post "This breach appears to involve a malware compromise, not merely the unauthorized retrieval of data from the servers. If a server is 'owned' by malware, even the login process should be considered untrustworthy. Passwords could therefore have been stolen directly from memory during login, even though they were never written to disk."[/i]
What else ya got?[b]
Unless of course by being prone to malware you mean the user having the ability to install software, then yes every OS is prone to malware.[/b]
No, I mean that EVERY OS including Linux is prone to malware... get your head of of the sand dude.
Windows isn't any more prone to malware than Linux is
Is that some kind of joke?
Of course windows is more prone, and its because of its design.
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
"Oh let me guess - you are one of those who is going with the SJVN theory that it was a "malware laden PC" that brought down The Linux Foundation"
No I said a hacker brought it down... as opposed to you who implied that malware brought it down... remember what you said "Linux - are prone to malware... case in point was the takedown of The Linux Foundation servers and kernel.org"
What else have I got?
Do want an example http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Linux-Foundation-Linuxcom-Hacked-in-Kernelcom-Breach-504793/
And here is a quote from the article "Linux Organization officials discovered on Aug. 28 that attackers had installed a Trojan and opened a backdoor into kernel.org servers on Aug. 12"
Do you see now? attackers installed malware.
"No, I mean that EVERY OS including Linux is prone to malware... get your head of of the sand dude"
Oh please be more specific, how exactly is Linux prone? where can I find some of this Linux malware and how can it install on my PC? or are you just spreading FUD?
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'
RE: Most free Android anti-malware scanners 'near to useless'