Mobile Antivirus
Everyone has a mobile device these days. They use these mobile devices for online shopping, paying bills, storing personal information, managing finances and more, thanks to the increasing speed, power and storage capacity of these devices. The increasing use of mobile devices has made them vulnerable to several threats such as Ransomware, online banking fraud and Remote Access Tools (RATs) by cybercriminals. Although these threats are not so common as in the case of PCs and Macs, there is still a significant number of such threats (viruses and malware)—mainly on the Android platform because of its wider reach. A study from 2013 showed that 97% of viruses and malware were on Android phones. There are limited ways to get a virus on your mobile device; for example, installing third-party apps from an unknown source. Hence, it is advisable to download apps from known marketplaces like Google Play or Amazon Marketplace for Android devices and Apple App Store for iOS devices.
A mobile antivirus is a software especially designed for mobile devices such as Smartphone and tablets. You can protect your device against virus and malware that cause popups and unwanted ads by using a trusted antivirus. Mobile antivirus also helps you protect your device against phishing attacks, spyware and adware.
Some mobile antivirus scan apps when they’re being downloaded. This helps prevent malware from infecting your mobile devices. Most mobile antivirus have additional features built in such as password backups, phone theft prevention, photo vault, junk cleaner, WiFi scanner, call blocker and firewall.
There are several factors impacting mobile security:
- Insecure web browser
- Insecure Wi-Fi connectivity
- Lost or stolen mobile device
- Corrupt application downloaded to the mobile device
- Lack of security patches from service providers.
Best secure practices:
- Install security software (antivirus and anti-malware) on your mobile device
- Update the operating system and app regularly (whenever available)
- Install a phone finder app
- Use a backup program
- Set device to wipe contents after specified number of failed login attempts
