riskware says Lookout

[cdahncke]

I am getting the following alerts on Lookout after upgrading

False positive?

 

[Markxmlx]

TL;DR Nothing to worry about, Lookout is just dumb.

They look like system level services. Lookout probably hasn't been updated with N support and is, as a result interpreting new software as potential malware.

I'll tell you what really does need to be removed from your phone - Lookout. Anti virus software on your phone is flat out pointless. Never used any on my phone and I've never had any cases of malware infecting my phone. Android is secure enough (especially on a Nexus) that you really don't need it and as I see it all Lookout is doing is wasting RAM and battery.

Edit: I can confirm that I also have those system services on my phone. They're both listed as version 7.0-something which means they must've come from the recent Nougat update. You can't uninstall it which means it's come by default with the phone/software which means it's 100% not a risk. Lookout is stupid for even suggesting that you remove/disable a service which would undoubtedly break your device's functionality.

 

[anon(5719825)]

I always disable Lookout on any phone I use. It is worthless. As long as you don't install apps from questionable sources, you really don't need any antivirus apps.

 

[Markxmlx]

Best way to avoid viruses is using common sense.

 

[oldtimefighter]

Is your phone rooted? Do you install apps outside of the Play store? No to both? You don't need Lookout...

 

[Markxmlx]

Is your phone rooted? Do you install apps outside of the Play store? No to both? You don't need Lookout...

Even if the OP was rooted and installed 100s of apps outside the play store Lookout would not be necessary.

 

[oldtimefighter]

Even if the OP was rooted and installed 100s of apps outside the play store Lookout would not be necessary.

Your right... Malware has just as much right to exist on your phone as anything else.

 

[Markxmlx]

Your right... Malware has just as much right to exist on your phone as anything else.

What I implied was if you use common sense and download from reputable sources (such as XDA developers) your chances of getting malware would be so small that they do not justify having antivirus software. I have not used antivirus software on my computer since 2012 and I've never had any cases of malware being downloaded.

 

[oldtimefighter]

What I implied was if you use common sense and download from reputable sources (such as XDA developers) your chances of getting malware would be so small that they do not justify having antivirus software. I have not used antivirus software on my computer since 2012 and I've never had any cases of malware being downloaded.

Common sense? You know what would even be more useful? Some technical knowledge to go along with that...

It is possible to research APKs to be pretty sure they are safe but a user running as root (even with SU) is not very secure or smart without some protection. I don't run antivirus software on my Android phone because there is virtually zero risk as my phone is not rooted and I only install safe APKs. My Windows PC? I run antivirus software on it and while it hasn't gone off in 20 years you never know. Common sense doesn't save you from a typo in the URL bar that leads to the wrong site. Why would you not run AV software on a PC? The icon just sits in the lower right hand corner and doesn't bother anyone unless it has to.

 

[Markxmlx]

Common sense? You know what would even be more useful? Some technical knowledge to go along with that...

It is possible to research APKs to be pretty sure they are safe but a user running as root (even with SU) is not very secure or smart without some protection. I don't run antivirus software on my Android phone because there is virtually zero risk as my phone is not rooted and I only install safe APKs. My Windows PC? I run antivirus software on it and while it hasn't gone off in 20 years you never know. Common sense doesn't save you from a typo in the URL bar that leads to the wrong site. Why would you not run AV software on a PC? The icon just sits in the lower right hand corner and doesn't bother anyone unless it has to.

I rooted all my Android phones and tablet up until getting a Nexus 6P and I have never run into any malware problems because I don't visit any random websites that claim to do X, Y or Z and I don't download random apps. I've used tons of different ROMs and side loaded plenty of different APKs.

The reason I do not use antivirus software on my pc either is because I don't like crapware interfering with my day to day computer usage. Using my CPU, updating in the background. Windows 10 already annoys me enough with that.

To this day I have NEVER got any kind of malware on any of my computers, EVER.

All a typo in a URL will do is lead you to a random placeholder site with random links that you can just back out of very easily. Let's not forget that most browsers auto-fill the URL for you before you even get the type the full thing. I can just press F and then enter immediately afterwards because I know it will take me to Facebook. No risk of visiting Faceboo.com or acebook.co.

Windows does a decent enough job with firewall and its preventative measures to handle these things and I am constantly aware of what I am downloading and what I click on. Just because you feel like you need antivirus software, doesn't mean I should or that I am dumb for doing so.

Also I don't know what this technical knowledge you are talking about is. "You never know" isn't technical knowledge.

 

[anon(9072051)]

I always disable Lookout on any phone I use. It is worthless. As long as you don't install apps from questionable sources, you really don't need any antivirus apps.

That's not really the point if the OP is a T-Mobile JUMP subscriber. Keeping Lookout installed and active on your phone is a condition of the insurance arrangement that is also a part of that program.

 

[oldtimefighter]

I rooted all my Android phones and tablet up until getting a Nexus 6P and I have never run into any malware problems because I don't visit any random websites that claim to do X, Y or Z and I don't download random apps. I've used tons of different ROMs and side loaded plenty of different APKs.

The reason I do not use antivirus software on my pc either is because I don't like crapware interfering with my day to day computer usage. Using my CPU, updating in the background. Windows 10 already annoys me enough with that.

To this day I have NEVER got any kind of malware on any of my computers, EVER.

All a typo in a URL will do is lead you to a random placeholder site with random links that you can just back out of very easily. Let's not forget that most browsers auto-fill the URL for you before you even get the type the full thing. I can just press F and then enter immediately afterwards because I know it will take me to Facebook. No risk of visiting Faceboo.com or acebook.co.

Windows does a decent enough job with firewall and its preventative measures to handle these things and I am constantly aware of what I am downloading and what I click on. Just because you feel like you need antivirus software, doesn't mean I should or that I am dumb for doing so.

Also I don't know what this technical knowledge you are talking about is. "You never know" isn't technical knowledge.

Like I said, no malware here either so what's your point? Why do you keep insisting just because you have never had malware on your PC and don't use antivirus software it is not needed? That's one use case dude. Have you ever heard the term "past performance is not an indicator of future results"?

I once had friend who tried to tell me the withdrawal method works because in five years his wife never got pregnant (once). She was pregnant three months later. #facepalm

The principle of "you never know" is how security experts control all risks. Rarely does any organization or any individual just do the bare minimum security wise and achieve good results.

Yes, technical knowledge is very helpful and unfortunately you demonstrated your lack of it by making a couple of statements that are flat out wrong...

Sorry, my antivirus program doesn't interfere with my day to day computer usage at all. Actually, it never prompts me for anything (unneeded alerts can be turned off). Modern antivirus software is not resource intensive at all unless you have like a six year old Dell or something? You must because you notice when Windows is updating in the background?

"All a typo in a URL will do is lead you to a random placeholder site with random links that you can just back out of very easily."

What? You go to the wrong site it can run code automatically that will infect your computer so unless you are telling me you run the No Script add-on and don't have Flash installed. In that case, you are probably safe browsing with no antivirus software.

Hey, I don't care if don't run antivirus software but don't say in a forum one doesn't need it if they have "common sense".

 

[Markxmlx]

Like I said, no malware here either so what's your point? Why do you keep insisting just because you have never had malware on your PC and don't use antivirus software it is not needed? That's one use case dude. Have you ever heard the term "past performance is not an indicator of future results"?

I once had friend who tried to tell me the withdrawal method works because in five years his wife never got pregnant (once). She was pregnant three months later. #facepalm

The principle of "you never know" is how security experts control all risks. Rarely does any organization or any individual just do the bare minimum security wise and achieve good results.

Yes, technical knowledge is very helpful and unfortunately you demonstrated your lack of it by making a couple of statements that are flat out wrong...

Sorry, my antivirus program doesn't interfere with my day to day computer usage at all. Actually, it never prompts me for anything (unneeded alerts can be turned off). Modern antivirus software is not resource intensive at all unless you have like a six year old Dell or something? You must because you notice when Windows is updating in the background?

"All a typo in a URL will do is lead you to a random placeholder site with random links that you can just back out of very easily."

What? You go to the wrong site it can run code automatically that will infect your computer so unless you are telling me you run the No Script add-on and don't have Flash installed. In that case, you are probably safe browsing with no antivirus software.

Hey, I don't care if don't run antivirus software but don't say in a forum one doesn't need it if they have "common sense".

How you structure your response is interesting as you do not show clearly which of my "couple of statements are flat out wrong".

I'm not a company and not a targeted individual.

Your criticism of my insistence is hypocritical since you are insisting the opposite.

If you keep Windows up to date you're in good shape to avoid most known exploits and hacks.

I have a laptop with a 4th gen core i7 and a GTX 970m and 16GB of RAM.

I live in a rural area with poor internet so I'm frequently monitoring network usage and in turn CPU and memory usage.

You're still not showing what this technical knowledge is that you're talking about. The fact that I have an attitude towards antivirus that isn't the same as yours doesn't make me wrong.

Please provide an example of a site that runs some code that infects your computer of which the URL is similar to a popular website. If not you might be buying a bit too much into these articles that talk about a new hack that "could affect millions of Android phones/PCs!!!11! Pls click me".

A lot of websites have stopped using Flash and rely mostly on HTML5 for content of this kind which is a hell of a lot more secure. Even Adobe are making an effort to rid the web of software they themselves created.

The fact that your antivirus has never alerted you in 20 years (something you stated in your previous response) is further evidence that you don't even need it. Either that or you're so good at dodging viruses with your amazing technical knowledge that you talk about but show little of.

That's not to say that antivirus software doesn't have its place. Kids, older parents. People who have next to no experience with what's out there on the web. Even then, after helping my mother with her computer use for many years (she has a Mac now) she now never clicks on something if she doesn't know what it is despite having next to no knowledge about how the internet or her computer works.

My father has worked in the field of IT for decades and agrees with my stance that if you're careful you're not at risk.

Also, all modern operating systems use encryption of some sort to ensure additional security of your information in case it ever were to get stolen. Recent versions of Android and iOS encrypt your device when you use rely on a pin or passcode. iOS even goes as far as encrypting on a hardware-level. Mac OS encrypts your drive by default and Windows 10 also uses encryption. So even if you had physical access to someone else's computer or phone it's not like you could easily compromise it.

Billions of dollars going into improving cyber security since governments, NGOs and businesses rely on it for handling sensitive data such as addresses, credit card information, etc. Gone are the days of "You're our 1,000,000th visitor! Congratulations, you've won!".

So no, most people who are careful and use common sense won't need antivirus software.

 

[oldtimefighter]

How you structure your response is interesting as you do not show clearly which of my "couple of statements are flat out wrong".

What? Reading my points and referring to your comment is to hard? I will make easier for you on this comment.

I have a laptop with a 4th gen core i7 and a GTX 970m and 16GB of RAM.

Cool, you a have a similar rig as me so antivirus running won't have any significant resource usage.

I live in a rural area with poor internet so I'm frequently monitoring network usage and in turn CPU and memory usage.

That is great strategy to help let you know when you have been infected by malware. #facepalm

A lot of websites have stopped using Flash and rely mostly on HTML5 for content of this kind which is a hell of a lot more secure. Even Adobe are making an effort to rid the web of software they themselves created.

Flash still exists and is still used by 8% of websites out there which is roughly almost 100 million websites. Websites or ads that dish out malware don't really care about the benefits of HTML5.

https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cp-flash/all/all

https://www.fastcompany.com/3049920/tech-forecast/the-agonizingly-slow-decline-of-adobe-flash-player

The fact that your antivirus has never alerted you in 20 years (something you stated in your previous response) is further evidence that you don't even need it.

No... Yes, I am a smart user and can stay out of trouble. This is part where I agree with you but... What you fail to understand is the RISK IS NOT ZERO and no one is perfect. It just takes going to the wrong website. It doesn't even have to be the wrong website. You never read those stories about malware being served up on popular known sites? Yes, that happens mostly via ads so an ad-blocker is your friend but some sites I whitelist because like to support them. My antivirus is the backup layer to all my security practices.

Actually, I stopped using antivirus software for almost a year until recently but a co-worker of mine who I would consider more paranoid and with even more technical knowledge than myself (we work in IT) was infected by ransomware on one of his computers at home. He had the important stuff backed up but it was still a pain in the *** for him. He has no idea how was infected so you never know... You should really read up on how sophisticated malware has become in recent years.

My father has worked in the field of IT for decades and agrees with my stance that if you're careful you're not at risk.

EVERYBODY IS AT RISK! Smarter users are just at LESS risk. I bet his company enforces antivirus protection even for the IT staff.

So no, most people who are careful and use common sense won't need antivirus software.

Most people who are careful and use common sense PROBABLY don't need antivirus software but it's free so it's a good idea since there is ALWAYS risk. <-- I fixed that for you.

My primary phone is not rooted and I am smart about what APKs I side load so the risk is almost zero so I go without antivirus software (same with my Linux box). My Windows PC while it does have a number of levels of security (updated, firewall, ad-blocker, etc.) the risk level is not close enough to zero for me for this device so I use an antivirus program. It has virtually zero impact on my usage of said PC so why wouldn't I?

I get you think common sense is the cure all for any possible malware infection but that is just NOT true. Thanks for the discussion but we are done here so I won't be reading any more replies from you...