08
Apr
bitdefender

Protect Your Device From Everyday Viruses With Bitdefender's New Free Antivirus App [Sponsored Post]

Posted by in Applications

We talked a little bit about Bitdefender's new antivirus offering earlier today in our giveaway post, but now we want to dive a little deeper into the app and explain what makes it good, how it differs from Bitdefender's paid mobile security service, and how it compares to similar antivirus offerings.

The first question you may have is "since Bitdefender's Mobile Security app was already free(mium), why release this?" That answer is actually pretty simple: as of today, the model for Mobile Security has changed to a trial period-only. Basically, you can try the full suite for two weeks, and after that are presented with the option to buy.

17
Oct
dan-rosenbergs-presentation-on-android-modding-for-the-security-practitioner-is-a-must-read

[Exclusive] Android 4.2 Alpha Teardown, Part 2: SELinux, VPN Lockdown, And Premium SMS Confirmation

Posted by in Android OS, APK Teardown, Exclusives, Features

We've got an LG Nexus system dump and endless desire to spoil every Googley surprise we can. Today's edition of the Android 4.2 Teardown could be alternatively subtitled "The Super-Serious Security Edition," because we're talking about the sort of stuff that should make your sysadmin jump for joy.

Please keep in mind this is just as forward-facing and time-ambiguous as all my other teardowns. This is a list of new stuff in the 4.2 dump, not a list of "confirmed for 4.2" features. Anything could be cut or not fully implemented by the time 4.2 rolls around; similarly to how bits of Android are currently multi-user aware, yet multi-user functionality isn't accessible.

11
Oct
google-play-logo

[APK Teardown] The Play Store Is Getting A Built-In Malware Scanner, Wish List Progress, And More

Posted by in Android OS, APK Teardown, News

A new app update means a new APK Teardown here at AP. Today's victim is the Google Play Store, which was just freshly updated to 3.9.16. We've got all sorts of stuff to talk about.

A Built-In Malware Scanner

Yes, it's hard to believe, but Google is working on a malware scanner for the Play Store. The string file doesn't lie:

    <string name="package_malware_title">App Check</string>
    <string name="package_malware_consent_text">"Allow Google to check all apps installed to this device for harmful behavior?
To learn more, go to Settings > Security."</string>
    <string name="package_malware_banner_warning">Installing this app may harm your device</string>
    <string name="package_malware_banner_blocked">Installation has been blocked</string>
    <string name="package_malware_recommendation_warning">Google recommends that you do not install this app.</string>
    <string name="package_malware_recommendation_blocked">To protect you, Google has blocked the installation of this app.</string>
    <string name="package_malware_app_name">App name: \"%s\"</string>
    <string name="package_malware_checkbox_label">I understand that this app may be dangerous.</string>
    <string name="package_malware_consent_title">Verify apps?</string>

Apparently, there are two parts to this.

04
Oct
plaguetiny

Plague Inc. Has Arrived On Android, Now Your iOS Buddies Aren't The Only Ones Who Can Infect The World With Deadly Diseases

Posted by in Games, News

Even if you haven't played it before, there's a decent chance you've seen Plague Inc. around the internet. Usually, it involves seeing a screenshot that informs you your mom has killed thousands of people. If you've ever wondered how you—yes, you!—can also create silly-named diseases that annihilate Earth's population with your Android phone, the answer has arrived! Go here, download the game, then spend 15 minutes staring at the screen trying to come up with something clever. Fair warning: "BieberFever" has already been done to death.

Of course, there is actually a game part to this game. The action is rather slow-going at first, but that's the point.

11
Jun
image

VirusTotal App Now Available For Android, Checks The Legitimacy Of Your Installed Apps Against 40+ Different AntiVirus Sources

Posted by in Applications, News

 

We at Android Police take our mobile security pretty seriously. It's in the job description. Entering the realm of mobile security today is yet another contender on the good side of the battle: VirusTotal has released its client for Android. Prior to this, VirusTotal was a simple website where you can upload suspicious files to be scanned by a multitude of antivirus engines. Having provided this desktop OS-oriented service for several years now, VirusTotal has brought its experience and expertise to mobile.

However, its mobile offering is slightly different than its desktop counterpart. As mobile devices are often data-limited, VirusTotal for Android instead checks an identifying hash of each application installed on your mobile device against the website's database.

02
Feb
bouncer

Google Brings In The Muscle: Meet Bouncer, The Market's Anti-Malware Machine - And It's Already At Work

Posted by in Applications, Apps/Games, News

As Android has grown from a small hobbyists OS to the mainstream-conquering behemoth it is today, so has the amount of malware directed towards it. A large chunk of the problem comes from malicious apps that make it into the Android Market - often times, duplicates of popular apps with a few strings of code thrown in that allow the app to transmit personal information or hijack the device.

Makers of anti-virus apps claim that there's more malware in the market than ever, painting the picture of a wild west-esque place that's ever-more attractive to the scum of the app universe.

22
Jan

[Weekend Poll] Do You Use An Antivirus App On Your Android Device(s)?

Posted by in Applications, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see If Android Ceased To Exist, What OS Would Your Next Device Be?

Antivirus apps are big business on Android. Just run a search on our site and you can see there are tons of big-name apps for our beloved OS that help protect users from malware, track lost devices, and manage privacy (among other things). Millions have downloaded such apps, and sometimes paid fairly large sums (in relation to other apps, anyway) for the protection they offer.

Simply put, then, do you use antivirus on any of your Android devices?

13
Jan
android-virus-1

First Malicious IRC Bot For Android Shows Up, Allows The Attacker Full Remote Control Of Your Device

Posted by in Android OS, News

We've seen our fair share of Android malware hit the scene, but the guys over at Kaspersky Labs have stumbled upon something rather alarming: the first IRC bot for Android. For those unaware, an IRC bot is a tool that provides automated function inside of an IRC channel. While very useful in many scenarios, IRC bots are also often used for malicious intent, such as the case at hand. It's worth noting here that, with the way this attack works, remote commands could be sent via any medium - SMS, webserver, etc. The attacker has just chosen IRC as the platform for this exploit.

02
Jan
2011-10-21-17h07_013

[Updated: Here Are The 10 Winners!] Nexus New Year's International Ultimate Giveaway: Win One Of Ten (Yes, Ten) Galaxy Nexuses From AVAST And Android Police

Posted by in Applications, Contests / Giveaways, Galaxy Nexus
Last Updated: March 6th, 2012

We know, we told you our holiday giveaway series would feature some of our largest contests to date. And it did - we gave away over a dozen tablets and nearly as many phones to our readers. But we thought we'd start the new year off with our biggest giveaway yet (an international one, to boot) - 10 Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphones, courtesy of our amazingly generous friends at AVAST Software.

This contest is now over. There were over 13,500 entries, making it our largest contest ever by a huge margin (unsurprisingly). Apologies for the long wait - it takes a long time to finalize these giveaways, and with CES I had a whole lot of stuff going on at once.

18
Nov
android-virus-1

Google's Chris DiBona Lashes Out Against Mobile Antivirus Developers, Calls Them 'Charlatans And Scammers'

Posted by in Android OS, News

What happens when Google's open-source program manager Chris DiBona reads one too many false claims about the nature of open source software? He takes to his soapbox on Google+ to put everyone in check.

That's exactly what happened a couple of days ago after DiBona read yet another article pounding the nature of open source, citing that it's "inherently insecure." Like any advocate for a cause would do, DiBona immediately set out to uncover the truth about security in an open source environment, paying particular attention to mobile operating systems, including Android and iOS.

No major cell phone has a 'virus' problem in the traditional sense that Windows and some Mac machines have seen.

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