Reminder: All those "Security" Apps are BS

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

This article isn't very good, but I guess it makes the point: ALMOST EVERY APP THAT SAYS IT WILL PROTECT YOU OR BOOST PERFORMANCE IS COMPLETELY NONSENSE AT BEST, AND MALWARE ITSELF AT WORST Don't use them.

https://www.welivesecurity.com/2018/04/05/google-play-ad-slingers/

From the article, these are 35 apps in the Play Store that allegedly protect stupid people from "viruses" (which are basically not a thing in Mobile) and malware, etc.

360 Secure Antivirus
Antivirus & Virus Cleaner & Security
Antivirus & Virus Remover 2018
Antivirus 2017 & Virus Removal
Antivirus 2018
Antivirus Android 2018
Antivirus Clean
Antivirus Cleaner - Virus Scanner And Junk Remover
Antivirus Cleaner Booster
Antivirus Cleaner For Android & App Locker Pattern
Antivirus Free + Virus Cleaner + Security App
Antivirus Free 2018
Antivirus Free : Process Virus
Antivirus Master-Applock Pro
AntiVirus Mobile Security for Android - Free
Antivirus Pro - Virus Cleaner - Boost Mobile free
Antivirus Security
Antivirus Security free
Antivirus Security Free
Antivirus Virus Cleaner - Security Applock 2017
Energy Antivirus Cleaner
hAntivirus - Security
Kara Security Manager Antivirus
Master Antivirus Booster App Lock
Max Security - Antivirus&Booster &Cleaner
Security Antivirus 2018
Security Antivirus 2018
Smadav antivirus for android 2018
Smart Security Antivirus & Applocker & Cleaner
Super Antivirus & Virus Cleaner (Applock, Cleaner)
Super Security-Anti Virus, Phone Cleaner & Booster
TV Antivirus Free + Applock
Virus Clean Antivirus - Cpu Cooler & Ram Master
Virus Cleaner - Antivirus,Booster,Security&AppLock
Virus Cleaner Antivirus 2017 - Clean Virus Booster

Every single one on that list is completely BS. Zero credibility to any functionality found or advertised in of any of them. I'll add in a 37th: Clean Master, by Cheetah Mobile - all of their apps are spyware, almost all of them exist solely to be adware, yet most of them are malware.

 

[B. Diddy]

Oh God kill them all with fire!

 

[TheDonJ77]

Thanks for the artlicle and app list, never used a "Security" app and never will but I know plenty of people who do. I'll forward it to them.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Yeah... for the most part, an anti virus isn't needed. I would say if you really feel like you need one, get one from a developer who also makes PC antivirus software.

 

[Rukbat]

Apps that "boost performance" by killing apps are nonsense - Android doesn't work that way. Windows does, but Android doesn't. (An Android app has to keep its current state at all times. If Android needs more free RAM, it just kills the least recently used app. When it brings it back [when you bring the app to the foreground with the Overview [or Recents] button, or by running the app again, Android runs it, telling it, "you were already running", and the app has to start from where it was, not from the beginning.)

But antivirus programs? How many posts have we seen here on Android Central asking for help because someone got his or her phone full of viruses? The good ones work. (That's not to say that anything with 'antivirus' in the name is a good app.) So does Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, but not on viruses, on other malware.

As for Cheetah, plus one (or two?) They demonstrate a particular ability to not understand how Android works, but how to get your data. (A decent firewall prevents that - just don't give apps that don't need outside access any access to the internet.)

 

[B. Diddy]

How many posts have we seen here on Android Central asking for help because someone got his or her phone full of viruses?

Then again, a lot of those posts are people getting those irritating browser popup ads pretending to be a warning that "your phone's battery is severely damaged by 4 viruses.":-\

 

[Rukbat]

That too - but I've seen enough legitimate complaints of Android malware to last me a lifetime.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

The nature of Linux makes the concept of a virus pretty difficult to maintain the nature of Linux makes the concept of a virus pretty difficult to maintain. Now most people consider non replicating malware to be a virus but that's misusing the term and real viruses are so rare as to be mythological on both Android and iOS. Malware almost definitely exists but its ability to cause harm is inherently mitigated by the way that Android is setup provided that the user does not introduce additional vulnerability to themselves. The way that most people get malware on Android is by installing Shady apps from Shady stores or Shady sites or simply by downloading stuff from Shady websites. The easiest way to stay healthy on Android is to get your apps from the Play Store, avoid the urge to disable inherent security features and to avoid acting like a moron in parts of the internet you don't understand.

 

[Golfdriver97]

The nature of Linux makes the concept of a virus pretty difficult to maintain the nature of Linux makes the concept of a virus pretty difficult to maintain. Now most people consider non replicating malware to be a virus but that's misusing the term and real viruses are so rare as to be mythological on both Android and iOS. Malware almost definitely exists but its ability to cause harm is inherently mitigated by the way that Android is setup provided that the user does not introduce additional vulnerability to themselves. The way that most people get malware on Android is by installing Shady apps from Shady stores or Shady sites or simply by downloading stuff from Shady websites. The easiest way to stay healthy on Android is to get your apps from the Play Store, avoid the urge to disable inherent security features and to avoid acting like a moron in parts of the internet you don't understand.

It would be interesting if like on a Linux PC, your PIN or password had to be entered to allow apps to make changes.

 

[B. Diddy]

A good article to complement this thread: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3268904/android/android-security-facts.html