Android's increasing popularity has led to increased security threats, ranging from common malware to advanced Phishing and ID theft techniques. In order to help Android users to deal with these issues many security software companies have launched their own security apps, but paying nearly 30 bucks a year for a complete mobile security app doesn't sound like a good deal, especially when there's a wide choice of free security apps that will cover all your needs including a group of complete security suites with Anti-Theft capabilities.
First things first: Can my Android device get infected with a "virus"?
The short answer is NO. Because, you see, Android apps work under a “sandboxed” security scheme. This is a technique that places “virtual walls” between apps and the rest of the device’s software, so that the only way an app can share resources and data is by declaring permissions which restrict what actions an app can perform on your Android device, what files it can reach, and whether it can get access to your personal info or not. Sandboxing limits the virus' capacity to infect your device, as it cannot access data from the OS and other parts of the device without a specific user-granted permission, thus annulling its capacity to replicate itself and spread from one device to another without the user knowing about it (that is what viruses do). However, viruses are only a fraction of the vast variety of malware types out there (such as trojans, spyware, exploits and fake apps), many of which do constitute a big threat to your data, your privacy and your Android device as well.
OK, I get it. But if Android cannot be infected with a “virus”, why do I need to install an “Antivirus”?
Although Android cannot get infected with a virus because of the aforementioned reasons, it doesn’t mean it is an impregnable OS, but quite the opposite: its popularity has turned it into the crook's favorite target around the globe, and with more than 700.000 Android apps available in the Play Store, it is reasonable to assume that there is plenty of potential malware and other security threats designed to take advantage of careless Android users. It is there where security apps find their meaning. Unfortunately, many security software companies have adhered to the “antivirus” term, though they know they actually provide anti-malware apps bundled with privacy and anti-theft protection. Although there did not seem to be a valid reason for some of these companies to insist on the “antivirus” term, the truth is that it may become rather misleading when it comes to Android, which works in a complete different way to Windows. In any case, some companies have preferred to label their respective apps as “mobile security” apps instead, which sounds like a more proper term. Keep in mind, however, that security apps are only a part of the solution, as the main source of protection should come from the users' common sense.
Security and Common Sense
We know we talked about permissions already, but we have to stress this point as much as we can: permissions are key to determine how secure an app is, both to your privacy and your data. We are telling you this because there are several ways to get apps 'for free'. However, installing them exposes you to many privacy and security risks. Why? The reason is simple. While modified APKs keep the functionality from the original app, they mess with the permissions on a fairly extensive basis; many permissions are removed and many others are added. Sadly, chances are you do not know what those rogue permissions are until strange things happen to your data and online accounts. Downloading apps from the Play Store is not a guarantee that the apps are safe either. Google has removed quite a lot of scam apps aimed at stealing your personal data and most of them did it through rogue permissions which had no reason to exist (a free clock widget that needs access to my contact list, my phone calls, my personal info and stuff? Thanks, but no thanks). That is why a security app won't be much help, no matter how good it is, if you are the kind of person who installs anything just for the sake of it. Protecting your Android device and your data is your responsibility, not others'. Do not forget it.
Aspects to be considered when choosing a Security App for Android
After reckoning the security threats for Android, these are the aspects we consider when choosing and evaluating a security app:
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Apps Evaluation
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Our current favorite security app for Android, 360 Mobile Security - Antivirus by Qihu 360 Software, is a very strong and capable app that goes beyond the common anti-malware strategy by adding hotfixes (read "patches") to certain Android security issues.
360's interface is one the best around: User friendly with gorgeous looks while keeping it as simple as it can be. We never knew what to expect for when we installed 360 Mobile Security for the first time, although we must say it surprised us in a good manner when, in addition to malware, it also detected and offered us to patch a series of specific Android vulnerabilities that neither Avast, TrustGo nor Lookout (among other major anti-malware players) ever considered.
As far as we are concerned, this is one of the most innovative features any security app has included so far, as there’s no need to wait for firmware updates from the manufacturer to patch our device’s vulnerabilities (let’s face it, most of us know THAT update could never arrive) or seek protection by installing third-party ROMs. There is a trick regarding 360's ability to patch the vulnerabilities, though: In order to keep your phone safe, you must keep the 360 Mobile Security installed; should you ever want to uninstall it, you will lose all the "patches" it had ever installed on your device.
In case you need to change the behavior of 360 Mobile Security, all you have to do is to swipe the main UI to the left and tap on the small gear-like icon. There, you can enable and disable the Auto Updates, the Auto Start, the language and the notification tray, which includes shortcuts for the System Cleanup, the alarm, the recent apps and a flashlight toggle.
360 Mobile Security also packs some goodies such as a Privacy Advisor, a System Cleanup Tool and a very useful “Floating Window” as 360 describes it. The first one will list all the installed apps under 7 permission-based categories whilst the second one will kill any app you choose and it will also clean private data from the system’s history. If you see an app you do not want to kill included in the “Running Apps” list, all you have to do is adding it to the ignore list and the app will be excluded from future kills for good. The floating window is a small but omnipresent floating shortcut that can be placed on the sides of the screen. When tapped on, it shows all apps currently running but it will offer you to add a varied set of toggles for Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, Bluetooth, GPS, Screen Brightness among others. If you feel like the floating window is causing you some problems, you can disable it or ask 360 to show it only in the launcher screen. The latest version also includes a much-needed call filtering feature, which is very customizable and lets you create your own "blacklists".
(!) If you do not feel confident about providing anonymous statistics regarding 360's usage, make sure you disable the Customer Experience Improvement Program.
360 Mobile Security provides a high level of protection to your device. Even though it lacks things such as an Anti-theft or a Firewall, its design and the features it includes compensate that loss. During our test, it consumed about 6~8 MB of RAM while idle, and it peaked at 19 MB while performing a scan in a heavily loaded device, so there is no evidence it will slow down your device unless you have a lot of background running-apps installed. As a security app, it really shines due to its efficient anti-malware engine and the advanced system vulnerabilities fixing which, in our opinion, takes the cake when it comes to consistency and efficiency in the area of security as a whole. This feature alone made this "rookie" Android app feel like real veteran. Plus, its sleek design and simplistic use of very powerful tools turns it into the-next-app-to-beat, and we hope 360 Mobile Security keeps improving in future versions and, most importantly, remains as 100% free security app.
 A very worthy contender, TrustGo Antivirus & Mobile Security has become a must-have app due to its simplicity, a superb anti-malware engine and a low impact on your phone, thereby making it a great choice to protect your device.
After you launch the app you will be offered to create a free TrustGo account, which is recommended in so far as you want the Device Protection and the Data Backup options. TrustGo's parameters can be set by tapping on the ActionBar Menupoint (the 3 Dots in the upper right corner of the main UI) and selecting the 'Settings' tab. You can adjust things like the Security Scanner (scheduled scans, real-time scanning and SD Card scanning), the System Manager (mobile data limit and usage alerts), the Secure Web Browsing, the Data Back-up (for Contacts, Calls and Messages), the Device Protection (a.k.a. anti-theft), the Search History and the Notification. The virus database can be updated via the 'About' dialog.
The app’s main UI consists of two tabs: “Security” and the “App Manager”. The Security tab is basically the core of TrustGo as it contains the main functions this app offers starting with the Security Scanner. It will scan your device thoroughly to detect and remove any threat using a flawless anti-malware engine. The System Manager is a toolbox with data usage monitoring, battery stats and a RAM cleanup tool. The Privacy Guard lists the permissions your apps have acquired whilst the Data Backup provides you with backup and restore options that work seamlessly with the TrustGo account. Lastly, you can use the two switches at the bottom to turn on/off the Secure Web Browsing and the Device Protection. The second tab (the App Manager) has two entries: ‘Hot Apps’ and ‘My Apps’. The first one is perhaps the only 'catch' TrustGo has, as it contains sponsored links to third-party apps. ‘My Apps’ shows basic information of the installed apps (version info, size) and you can perform uninstall tasks or send a report to TrustGo if you think an app has something fishy in it.
The Device Protection deserves some special attention. First, it acts as Device Administrator, which limits the ability to disable the anti-theft component or uninstall TrustGo altogether unless you enter your TrustGo password. Secondly, the commands (which can be sent only from your TrustGo account) will become available only if and when your device has been successfully located using the ‘Find My Phone’ tool. Although we are not convinced that this is the best approach to phone recovery (mainly because finding your device takes some time), at least we can say that the Lock, Alarm and Wipe commands work instantly. If your device has a front-facing camera, you can also receive a snapshot of the suspect along with a detailed log in your e-mail. However, if you do not feel comfortable with those tools, the newly added "SIM change alert" feature can send good old SMSes with the info you may need to recover your phone.
TrustGo Antivirus & Mobile Security provides a superb performance when it comes to malware detection. The included SAFE (Secure App Finder Engine) feature allowed us to know which apps were risky before downloading them and the Secure Web Surfing provided a superb filter against malicious sites. The USSD protection performed quite good too. The RAM usage reached 12 MB at its peak, whereas it remained at 4~8 MB while idle. That is great news for users with older devices and it is something definitely good in a world where 15 MB or more of RAM usage seems to be the average for most of the security apps out there (Yes, we are looking at you, avast! and Lookout).
It has been some months since we added TrustGo Mobile Security & Antivirus to this list, and we feel sure to say it remains one of the most valuable free anti-malware products for Android, thus making it a really very install-worthy security app.
 Comodo Mobile Security & Antivirus Free has its own share of characteristics starting with an awesome anti-malware engine that exceeds the average, plus some handy utilities that should help protecting your privacy, your data and your device itself. Furthermore, it is one of the very few 100% free security apps that remain out there.
After the install, Comodo will check for updates automatically, though it will need your confirmation to proceed. As with other apps, Comodo adds an icon in the notifications tray but disabling it won't cause any consequences. After everything is set, you can tap on the Health Check button in the main screen to check you device. Once the scan is finished the app will list the results under three categories: Dangerous, Pending and Secure, and it will add a brief description of the respective issues (if found). You can also schedule scan tasks, but you cannot choose specific locations.
Comodo has also included some useful tools besides the obvious anti-malware. The Process Manager is a redesigned task killer that shows the current RAM usage and lists all the running processes. The Traffic Monitoring and the Call & SMS Blocking tools will do what their name suggests. With the Private Space you can classify contacts or single phone numbers as “private”, so whenever you call or send a SMS to those numbers, you have to write a password first. The Software Manager is split into My Software (it lists all the installed apps, the available space and lets you uninstall the programs) and the App Protector, which locks the access to any app you want with a password. You can use the Backup Tool to keep a copy of your contacts, SMSes, apps and private space in your SD Card. Last but don't least, Comodo has a Firewall tool aimed at blocking any app you want, although it lacks specific network blocking options (Wi-Fi, 3G) and it needs a rooted device to work.
The improved Anti-theft feature mixes both online (Google Maps) and offline (SMSes) options and the 3-step Anti-theft Setup Wizard will guide you throughout the process. Once configured, you can use SMSes to send the location of your phone to another one (Remote locate), notify a friend’s number in case your SIM gets changed (SIM Change Alerts), trigger an alarm (works even when in silent mode) and block your phone remotely (Remote Device Lock). You can also erase any important data remotely (Remote Device Wipe). Comodo has also included a SMS command that will activate your phone's camera and will take a picture of its current 'possessor' and send it to your mail using the SMTP protocol. On the downside, Comodo does not act as "device administrator", which limits its capacity to enforce the desired policies a user might need, like activating the GPS remotely.
Comodo has finally improved the anti-malware engine, which detected everything we threw at it and bested all the security apps reviewed below. Though the RAM usage peaked at 20 MB while performing a full system scan, it kept a healthy 5~10 MB while idle. The USSD protection tool worked seamesly with the dialer, although the inclusion of a secure web browsing option is still pending.
Even though this new version is not bad at all, we would like Comodo to work as a Device Administrator in order to strenghten its anti-theft module and the addition of a 3G / Wi-Fi specific blocking option for the firewall is still pending, though. In any case, it looks like Comodo Mobile Security wants get to the top of this list soon, as it has become a real heavyweight security app for Android and is taking all the necessary steps to get better with every new version.
 Our former favorite security app, avast! Mobile Security has seen much comings and goings during these last months. First, it luckily recovered some ground in terms of malware detection capabilities, but then it turned itself into a fremium app which needs to be purchased if you want to use the full array of features it includes.
Once installed, Avast! will add an icon in the notification tray, you can disable it, but doing so will affect the functionality provided by the real-time protection. You can schedule automatic scans for the apps, the SD Card or both. The Privacy Advisor checks the permissions every app needs and lists the potential privacy issues they may have whilst the Applications Management acts as a task killer. The Network Meter can monitor all your data traffic (WiFi, 3G and Roaming) and you can check each app's traffic under every network by selecting the corresponding tab. Lastly, you can see a complete activity log by 'swiping' the main screen to the right.
Avast! includes a full set of protection shields grouped under the "Shield Control" menu that should keep you protected from all fronts. The Web Shield will block any infected URL it may find; the Message Shield will filter all unwanted SMSes and the Application Shield will keep PUAs at bay. The SMS & Call Filtering can be set up to block outgoing and incoming calls (unlisted, private, a contact and single numbers) and you can add them to a group or groups and add specific days and hours to block their calls & SMSes. Additionally, the included USSD protection will keep your dialer safe from exploits.
The two features that make Avast! a complete free security suite are the Firewall and the Anti-Theft functions. With the Firewall activated, you can disable Internet access to any kind of network (WiFi, 3G and Roaming). That way you can avoid expensive roaming connection fares, block specific apps from going online and keep hackers away. Not so good, however, is that you need a rooted device to make it work. If you happen to have a rooted phone, the Anti-Theft feature will be one of the best around since very advanced options like Self-Protection (app uninstalling prevention and USB disabling) and Remote Settings Change will be available. Non-rooted devices can still benefit from some Anti-theft components such as the Stealth Mode (it disguises and hides the Anti-theft component from unauthorized access) and a very complete list of SMS commands to trigger special actions such as alarms, device locking, remote wiping and geo-location. Avast! also has a fully operational online service (you need a free Avast! account) from which you can check and change your device status (Secured or Lost), locate it, send web commands and manage the Anti-Theft settings. Sadly, the full list of features (the app-locking, the anti-theft extras and the adware detecting capabilites) are now limited to the full (paid) version.
(!) Your device needs an active internet connection to enable and install Avast! Anti-Theft. This is not a mandatory installation, so you can skip it or do it later.
Avast! has experienced some minor changes lately. Luckily, the malware detection rates have improved quite a lot and most of the previous problems appear to have faded away. On the downside, its numerous features could stretch the system resources, particulary in the case of older devices, as they increase the RAM usage to high levels (26 MB at peak demand, 13~19 MB while idle) as well as the installation size, which has increased substantially (it takes ~25 MB and it cannot be moved to the SD Card). Although you can disable some features to save some RAM to improve the phone's efficiency, there is nothing you can do about the storage space the installation takes, as it installs everything, even the features you cannot use unless you pay for them. Lastly, the need of a rooted device for the Firewall and the most advanced Anti-theft options might pose a challenge for new and inexperienced users. Leaving this flaws aside, Avast! Mobile Security is still a good security app with great abilities to keep your device well protected.
 Sophos Free Antivirus & Security is the result of the experienced minds from the laboratory of the same name, and we must say they have bested any previous version with this new one.
Once installed, Sophos will show you its improved minimalist-style home screen composed by 6 categories: Scanner, Loss & Theft, Spam Protection, Privacy Advisor, Security Advisor and the App Protection.
You can use the scanner settings to schedule periodic scans, look for unwanted apps (or PUAs, as Sophos calls them), include or exclude system apps from the scanning process, enable or disable the “On install Scan” (scans the app during its installation) and it can even scan APKs obtained from any source such as email attachments or web pages. You can also enable or disable the “Monitor SD Card” option by which Sophos will monitor any writes to the SD Card and any USB drive automatically as soon as you plug it, asuming that your Android device supports USB hosting (a.k.a. USB OTG). Finally, you can activate the “Cloud Scan Mode” and set it to “Always”, “Not While Roaming” and “WiFi only” to use the Sophos cloud infrastructure to get the latest data on Android malware. Finally, the "Malicious Website Protection" will warn you about any blacklisted site it finds.
The Loss & Theft feature is a pretty good SMS-based tool but to enable it you must configure all the required items (7 in total) first. Setting them up is a simple task and the app itself will help you throughout the process. Once set, you can select the Loss & Theft features you want to enable such as Alarm, Locate / Locate at Low Battery, (the device sends its location back to you), Lock (blocks your device), SIM change (sends SMSes to selected numbers from the new SIM), Unlock, Secure Wipe and Unprotect (it deactivates the Anti-theft).
The Security Advisor will scan for any unsecure settings your device may have (i.e Unknown App Sources, USB Debugging, Bluetooth Settings) and will advice you accordingly. The Privacy Advisor, on the other hand, lists all the installed apps and categorizes them under 3 categories based on their specific permissions: Apps that may cause costs, Apps that may harm your privacy and Apps that may access the internet. You can sort the categories to your own needs or select them all using the icons at the bottom of the screen. The Spam Protection is very simple yet effective Call & SMS filter (it works great) and the recently added App Protection will lock any app you want with a password (you can use both letters and numbers).
(!) In order to improve security and strengthen the app against potential attacks from malicious users, Sophos has released a small (22 KB) free add-on called "Security & Antivirus Guard" which ensures the app never gets terminated and restarts itself immediately if needed.
Sophos Security & Antivirus may have a minimalist UI and is not as open as the other apps but it gets the job done in a very good way. The scan engine works fine even with the Cloud Scan option disabled. Sophos also provides a neat USSD protection and an effective secure web browsing. The main downside of Sophos' newest version, however, lies within the RAM usage, which has increased when compraed to previous versions since it peaked at 22 MB and ~16 MB while idle; it also needs around 22 MB of internal space to be installed. Although we wish this new version was not as demanding as it is now, Sophos Security & Antivirus is a great 100% free security app with great anti-malware capabilities and a very good set of tools such as the Anti-theft and the App Protection.
 Lookout Security & Antivirus is a true veteran because it is one of the first security and anti-malware app developed for the Android platform and therefore has a lot of experience concerning mobile security.
After its installation, the app will scan all the programs installed on your device automatically in order to protect your device and beloved data from malicious apps, spyware or other potential malware. It also does an automatic scan whenever you try to install a new app or update an already existing one. In addition, you can schedule a scan of the apps on your device at a frequency, day and/or time slot to your liking but you can't choose specific locations or directories, so you have to stick to the app's default options.
As a bonus feature, Lookout includes a phone-locator feature (labeled as Missing Device) that allows you to locate your missing and beloved phone using Google maps even with the GPS turned off. You can create a free account at myLookout.com and use your login to locate your phone using a browser, though it does not offer any offline recovery option (such as SMSes) or a SIM change alert, for that matter.
Back to the Lookout account options, you can use it to back up your current contacts in myLookout.com and restore them to your phone or any other Android device you possess in case you have more than one. Moreover, Lookout will check if your contacts backup is properly updated whenever you add, delete or update a contact. If that is the case, the app will prompt you to update your backup in case it is outdated, which proved to be a really easy and handy feature to keep your contacts info well protected, updated and with easy access.
Lookout Mobile Security works flawlessly when it comes to malware detection and cleaning since no malware that dared to get into the phone succeeded and the included USSD protection worked fine. Although the current version boasts a new eye-candy UI coupled with some battery and stability enhancements, the Anti-theft component is the one that has seen some major improvements thanks to the Signal Flare (sends your device's location before its battery runs out) and the Lock Cam feature (it takes a picture with your frontal camera and sends it to your email after 5 failed attempts to unlock your device). Regarding the RAM usage, it peaked at 26 MB at some point, whereas 11~18 MB are the average while idle. Furthermore, it is to be noted that key features like Safe Browsing, the Privacy Advisor and the Remote Lock & Wipe are still only available to the Premium (paid) version although you can have them as 14-day trial versions in case you want to give them a try.
Lookout Mobile Security is definitely a great anti-malware app with decent Anti-theft capabilities. However, we still believe that the app's current strategy seems rather odd, as some free security apps are providing malware detection rates equal to or higher than Lookout's along with safe browsing, privacy tools and remote lock & wipe options for free. Anyway, Lookout does not seem to care about that and keeps on trying to overcome them by selling you those services at premium prices. That is a reminder that, though effective, Lookout is still only a feature-limited security app which, unsurprisingly, is starting to lag behind some real good contenders who offer their security apps at no cost.
 Directly arriving from Russia we have Dr. Web Antivirus Light. Do not let the “light” term to fool you as this is one of the most powerful yet simplest anti-malware apps available for Android.
The app’s main UI is simple and elegant and provides direct access to all the features you may need from the start. By using the SpIDer Guard, Dr. Web is able to provide real-time protection for your device from any threats it may find and, if needed, you can use it to perform on-demand scans such as a Quick Scan (it scans system files and apps directories), a Complete Scan (all files and directories) or scan specific files and directories through a Custom Scan. The anti-malware definitions update is also a fast procedure with very small-sized files, so you can use your mobile internet connection with no major concerns about you monthly data traffic. Besides, if you are one of those who like to track your anti-malware app activity, the Statistics option will list all the recent actions Dr. Web Light did (definition updates, malware found, etc.) and you can find all the infected files under the Quarantine tab and restore them or delete them for good.
The real power of Dr. Web though, comes within the somewhat-hidden “Settings” menu (access it by hitting on your device’s “menu” button or its equivalent). From there, you can customize Dr. Web’s behavior starting with basic stuff like the app’s sounds, the icon status in the notification bar, enable/disable mobile data or turn on/off the automatic virus definitions update. The real deal however, lies under 2 options whose true potential you may not be aware of, these are the “Files in Archives” and the “SD-Card Mounting” options. The “Files on Archives” option will perform a thorough scan of any file, maximizing the chances of finding those newer and sneaky malicious codes. This option is present twice: one under the SpIDer Guard options and the other under the Scanner, enable it on both places to maximize the protection for your device; just be advised that enabling this option will result in slower scan speeds. The “SD-Card Mounting” on the other hand, will scan the SD whenever you mount it or install a new one. What is so great about it? Sometimes, when you connect your device to your PC, your SD card will be mounted and un-mounted automatically (depending on your USB connectivity settings) so, if you transfer a malicious app to your device though USB some anti-malware apps may never notice it until you restart you phone (because of the SD’s mounting/un-mounting process) and by then, it could be too late. That is why we love this protection option.
To be truthful, Dr. Web Antivirus Light gave us a hard time when trying to assign its rating. It is not a complete security suite (it lacks Anti-theft and Privacy features) but it does not promote itself as such. It is not a mediocre anti-malware app either, in fact, its detection rates are very good and the RAM usage levels are below the average (up-to 10 MB when fully working). Its scan speeds are fast when compared to other apps, even with the "Files on Archives" option enabled. In sum, is Dr. Web Light worth installing or not? Well, if you want to keep your device’s anti-malware protection simple and efficient and you can live without the Anti-theft and other extras, then Dr. Web Antivirus Light is a good choice. However, if you need all the features characterizing current mobile security apps (anti-theft, call filtering and so on), then Dr. Web Light will fall short and you may do better with the apps mentioned above.
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