In reality, mobile devices are subject to the same kinds of threats as the former — in fact, the mobile phone as it exists today is basically a scaled-down version of the PC that also has phone capabilities.
Experts predict that by 2020 more people will be using smartphones than PCs to access the Internet, meaning smartphones will become increasingly common targets for hackers. In the meantime, the following five mobile security apps help protect your devices against security compromises. Many of the companies that produce general computer security software also make apps that are designed specifically to protect mobile phones.
Some Best Mobile Security Apps/Antivirus
1) Avast! Mobile Security
Avast! performs a variety of tasks to ensure that other applications will not harm the device. It scans apps in order to see what they are doing, uses Web Shield to scan URLs for malware and protects devices against viruses. Avast! also includes a hidden feature, Theft Aware, recently acquired by the company.This feature allows owners to monitor their devices remotely via SMS, lock a device or even wipe it out remotely if it’s stolen. A firewall is present that not only enables control of network traffic — provided that the device is a rooted one — but can also save battery power. The overall detection rate for Avast! is 98 percent, making it one of the most popular mobile security apps.
2) Lookout Security and Antivirus
Lookout is another widely-used app for mobile security. It is also one of the first to be introduced, offering scheduled scanning, anti-virus protection, remote location, alarm activation and backup of contents to a PC in its free version.The premium version, which costs $3 per month or $30 per year, can be used on two smartphones at once and includes features not found in the free version, such as remote lock and wipe, apps privacy reports and safe browsing. Detection rate is 99 percent.
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3) TrustGo Antivirus and Mobile Security
TrustGo, along with Avast! and Lookout, has been rated by Digital Trends as one of the top three Android security apps. The usual protection features are present — safe browsing to prevent phishing scams, scheduled scans, location of lost phones and so forth — but TrustGo offers a few additional features, including:- Secure app searching to prevent suspicious apps from being downloaded
- Backup
- Privacy guard
TrustGo boasts a 100 percent detection rate, making it a comprehensive security tool for mobile devices.
4) Symantec
The detection rate for both Symantec and Trend Micro (discussed below) is 97 percent. Symantec is designed for devices using the Android and Windows operating systems. Security is comprehensive, including an advanced firewall and the SMS Antivirus solution. The app is integrated with Symantec Mobile Management so you can manage your phone security from a single console.Through the Symantec Management Platform, you can also centralize management of your phone and tablet and report functions to them. A free trial is available from Symantec's website. Thanks to single sign-on, secure email and SSL policing, Symantec offers a seamless management suite.
5) Trend Micro
Trend Micro uses OfficeScan to protect computing devices of all sorts. Their security solutions are superior to those of the standalone type, offering sheer simplicity while reducing costs of IT and operations.Trend Micro can block out devices that are not encrypted or have been jailbroken, and can lock SD card readers and other such risky things. Trend Micro can be downloaded for a free thirty-day trial from the company website, after which it must be purchased elsewhere.
Veracode offers comprehensive mobile application security testing solutions, as well as detailed guides to iOS and Android security. Veracode also supports static binary scanning on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry platforms, as well as mobile application security testing for app stores, MDM and MAM providers via the recently acquired Marvin Mobile.
Veracode’s mobile code security tool is a streamlined and easy-to-use platform allowing users to test the security of their mobile applications. Veracode provides a wealth of resources for companies using BYOD policies, mobile application and mobile code security risks, in-depth information on the security features and risks associated with the various mobile operating platforms and more.
Fergal Glynn About the Author:
Fergal Glynn is the Director of software audit tools from Veracode.com, an award-winning application security company specializing in secure software supply chain and other security breaches with effective risk assessment tools like secure software supply chain toolkit.
