So Antivirus Apps Of Little Use At All Then

LockOnTech

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Some antivirus apps have useful features, but most are superficial/gimmicks.

For others it is just an illusion of a blanket piece of mind for protection, I admit I was one of the people; back in the gingerbread era. But google is paying attention to what goes on the play store, also by default when you first boot up your device unknown sources is not check marked. So I no longer run antivirus.
 

wizzrah

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For others it is just an illusion of a blanket piece of mind for protection, I admit I was one of the people; back in the gingerbread era. But google is paying attention to what goes on the play store, also by default when you first boot up your device unknown sources is not check marked. So I no longer run antivirus.

I think we all were using Antivirus apps at one point. :)

Sent from my nifty 2 year old AT&T HTC One XL
 

rrballer11

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I use the one that comes with Tmobile. It has a lot of extra useful features. Like find my phone if its stolen and all, because we don't have those features native? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Posted via Android Central App
 

ecjd

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I actually never thought of using anti-virus until that whole celeb leak happened. I was listening to the radio and some guy played it up pretty good saying how it was crucial to have it on your phone.

I tried it. It was annoying and never caught anything, so I uninstalled it a week later. I'm always careful about what I download anyway.
 

RumoredNow

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I think many respondents are glossing over some of the info in the article...

Yes, personal vigilance is a must and smart behavior essential; however the article is pointing out not that AV on Android is useless, only that it does not go far enough. In some ways, the very nature of how Android works creates barriers to AV effectiveness and does not allow it to operate at a higher efficiency rate and accomplish things that AV on PC can do.

Condoms won't prevent every pregnancy and may not provide 100% protection against STDs... Guess they are never needed. Just be smart?

Lookout, ESET and Avast all scored highest when all categories are combined. Why ditch those? Or why not move to use them? Correct: there were attacks even they didn't catch - and these are specifically those types which the Android OS prevents AV from looking for. Nothing is perfect. Why refuse to use a bulletproof vest just because it won't stop a bullet to your leg? That's not the point of the article - not to use AV on Android. The point is to understand what it's limits are and why some attacks are successful despite AV.

I talk to a lot of people about mobile. A lot. Strangers even. There are a lot of people with malware issues on Android who never heard of third party stores or are able to sideload their way out of a wet paper bag. Those are not the only ways for attacks on your system to occur. Do you connect your device to... anywhere? Unless you sandbox the whole thing and run in airplane mode, you are creating and using gateways that can be used to attack your system all the time.

I have never run Android without AV and never will. I never run Windows without AV and never will. Popularity breeds attack; some better than others, some new, some old coming around again... Always changing. People who perpetrate these attacks on systems are relentless, highly intelligent and knowledgeable. They are crafty like a fox on smart pills with an advanced degree. They do this all day every day; weekends and holidays too. It's what they do. They consider it their job, their way to make money and become famous. But you? You're one step ahead of them? Good for you. And you'll stay that way too, one step ahead of them... Because why?

I would never pat myself on the back and call myself smart for abandoning AV.

I always do feel better continuing to do research and looking for a better AV to use... For trying to understand the nature of the beast and how it wants to strike at me, just because it can.
 

LockOnTech

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Also another another factor is that since most of us use a personal computer like windows. It was a force of habit that led to using anti-virus on mobile devices since we use them on our computers. So it was in most cases my fault, I had no idea.
 

meyerweb#CB

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I actually never thought of using anti-virus until that whole celeb leak happened. I was listening to the radio and some guy played it up pretty good saying how it was crucial to have it on your phone.

Anti-virus on phones would have done nothing to stop the celebrity photo hack. Apple's security was broken by social engineering (guessing userids) and brute force login attempts on Apple's servers (not phones) with thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of uid/password combinations.

It's amazing how little so many so-called "experts" actually know.
 

natehoy

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Anti-virus on phones would have done nothing to stop the celebrity photo hack. Apple's security was broken by social engineering (guessing userids) and brute force login attempts on Apple's servers (not phones) with thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of uid/password combinations.

It's amazing how little so many so-called "experts" actually know.

Right - the correct way to prevent that attack is to use a good password, and for bonus points use Google's two-factor authentication. In fact, just go straight to two-factor with a decent password.
 

ecjd

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Anti-virus on phones would have done nothing to stop the celebrity photo hack. Apple's security was broken by social engineering (guessing userids) and brute force login attempts on Apple's servers (not phones) with thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of uid/password combinations.

It's amazing how little so many so-called "experts" actually know.

I understand that. The celeb leak just shone some light on phone security. They talked about a bunch of different things and antivirus on phones was one of them.
 

hawkwind212

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If you're afraid of somebody stealing your naked pictures, why do you put it on the phone where it's much easier to steal in the first place? All that aside, how about putting up a firewall to prevent the malicious intrusion? Nobody mentioned it here. I didn't even know such app existed for the Android device, well, you know what I meant. I know of firewall for the pc but not for Android phone. But why not? It is becoming our pocket computer, and just happen that this computer can also be use as the phone. Yesterday I saw an article talking about the firewall for Android, and I was surprise to see so many apps in the store already. Like somebody said earlier, AV doesn't prevent intrusion. Thought a firewall will, and I think I will get one so nobody can steal the pictures of my bare fat hairy *** off my phone.

Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk
 

Amia BooMaster

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If you download apks of different sites, a scanner might come in handy. Mostly though they just use up phone resources and do practically nothing. The theft features might be tempting, but you could have standalone apps that do the same with out the bloat.
 

RumoredNow

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People that don't know what they are doing usually use them.

I'm the guy around me that everyone asks about their computers and their phones. I get thanks and gifts for my help. Been studying tech independently for almost two decades and still pride myself for keeping up to date and knowing what is now...

I use AV, as I said before, on both PC and Android.

I am not opposed to those who "know what they are doing" shunning AV and patrolling their systems on their own to ensure their safety.

What I am VEHEMENTLY opposed to is those who "know what they are doing" spouting off about nobody needing AV. For the love of God, if you do "know what you are doing" and have helped others with their systems, you quickly realize that most tech users don't have clue one. And that it is highly irresponsible, selfish and egotistical to preach to anyone else about how they do not need every protection they can provide to their system. If I took the advice of some of these self-proclaimed "experts" and had a system crash, would they fix my device? Pay for repairs? Buy me a new one? NO. They will get all sanctimonious and proclaim how that never would have happened to them.

Guess what, those of you who "know what you are doing;" you are only you and not every user. Why does it not dawn on you that some people will NEVER do what you do and know what you know?

Say you don't need AV for yourself and I am all cool with that. Groove on.

Say that no one needs AV and they are a sucker for using it and I got a BIG problem. Stop trying to shame people out of protecting themselves by making them feel stupid.
 

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