AV-Comparatives: Mobile Security Review 2020 - June 2020

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Introduction

In this report, we try to assist readers in evaluating both Android’s built-in security measures and the additional and more sophisticated features provided by third-party security apps. In addition to the results of comprehensive malware protection and battery consumption tests, the report includes reviews that evaluate the functionality, app layout and overall usability of each security solution. A short table at the end of each product report gives an overview of any anti-theft function included in that product. Many of the reviewed and tested apps have non-security related components, such as a task manager, network monitor, system optimizer, and data backup feature. However, we mainly focus on the security features (anti-malware, anti-theft, safe browsing, and privacy) in our reviews, and only mention further functionality briefly. The structure of each product report is kept identical, to allow readers to compare products more easily.

Details

In January 2019, we conducted a malware protection test with 250 Android security apps. One purpose of this test was to distinguish genuine and effective apps from dubious/ineffective ones, and it used highly prevalent malware from the previous year. The test described in this report was much more in-depth and demanding, as it used very recent malware samples, and also investigated additional security features and battery drain. Consequently, it allowed the tested apps to demonstrate their effectiveness against current threats, along with their all-round security capabilities and performance. Recently, we also evaluated how well some security apps protect against stalkerware on Android.

The main purpose of a mobile security product is to protect users and their devices from potential harm inflicted by malicious apps, fraudulent mails, harmful links, and phishing URLs. Recent Android versions already incorporate some basic security features. Google’s built-in malware scanner Play Protect scans apps during installation from the Google Play store or a third-party source, and regularly checks the device for any threats. The Safe Browsing API protects against malware and phishing links while surfing the Internet using the Google Chrome browser. Anti-theft functions (lock, locate, alarm, and wipe) are provided via Google’s Find My Device feature to find a lost or stolen phone, and to prevent access to any personal data stored on the device.

On the following pages, we discuss the new features, changes, and restrictions regarding privacy and security introduced in the latest operating system version Android 10, which are crucial for the future development of Android apps. Furthermore, we will argue why it is not advisable to rely only on the built-in malware protection provided by Play Protect, but instead install a third-party anti-virus app. After that, we talk about the current risks facing smartphone users, and give recommendations for achieving better protection. At the end of the introduction, we give a short summary of common security features and main sub-components of typical Android security apps. In the main section of this report, we present the participating security products, along with the results of the malware protection tests, the battery drain test, and the detailed reviews of the individual products. For a product’s anti-theft component, we comment on each function briefly and use the following symbols in the table to indicate how well it worked in our tests.

Full Report