ANDROID ANTI-VIRUS APPS ARE USELESS — HERE'S HOW TO REALLY PROTECT YOURSELF FROM MALWARE!

It seems like there are a lot of people who can't go a week without having a anti-malware app in their phones because of the fact there are a lot of Android malware in the wild.

But seriously, Android by its very nature is more secure than a desktop computer. Which means you're better off without an anti-malware app.

We've all been programmed by PC malware, which can sneak onto your system simply because you visited the wrong website with a vulnerable browser. These “drive-by downloads” aren't feasible on Android without a pre-existing infection. On Android, you have to physically tap on a notification to install an APK downloaded from a source outside the Play Store. Even then there are security settings that need to be manually bypassed.

But the solution pushed by AV companies is to install a security suite that manually scans every app, monitors your Web traffic, and so on. These apps tend to be a drain on resources and are generally annoying with plentiful notifications and pop ups. You probably don't need to install Lookout, AVG, Symantec/Norton, or any of the other AV apps on Android. Instead, there are some completely reasonable steps you can take that won't drag down your phone.

Just to make things clear, Android has a built-in malware protection.

Google Play apps are scanned for malware: Google uses a service named Bouncer to automatically scan apps on the Google Play Store for malware. As soon as an app is uploaded, Bouncer checks it and compares it to other known malware, Trojans, and spyware. Every application is run in a simulated environment to see if it will behave maliciously on an actual device. The app’s behavior is compared to the behavior of previous malicious apps to look for red flags. New developer accounts are particularly scrutinized – this is to prevent repeat offenders from creating new accounts.

Google Play can remotely uninstall apps: If you’ve installed an app that is later found to be malicious, Google has the ability to remotely uninstall this app from your phone when it’s pulled from Google Play

Android 4.2 scans sideloaded apps: While apps on Google Play are checked for malware, apps that are sideloaded (installed from elsewhere) were not checked for malware. On Android 4.2, when you first try to sideload an app, you’ll be asked whether you want to verify sideloaded apps are safe. This ensures that all apps on your device are checked for malware.

What to do now?

Your first line of defense is to simply not mess around with Android's default security settings. To get Google certification, each and every phone and tablet comes with “Unknown sources” disabled in the security settings. If you want to sideload an APK downloaded from outside Google Play, all you need to do is check that box. Leaving this disabled keeps you safe from virtually all Android malware, because there's almost none of it in the Play Store.

Verify Apps. There are legitimate reasons to allow unknown sources, though. For example, Amazon's Appstore client sideloads the apps and games you buy, and many reputable sites re-host official app updates that are rolling out in stages so you don't have to wait your turn. If you do take advantage of this feature, the first time you do so a box will pop up asking you to allow Google to scan for malicious activity. This is known as Verify Apps and it's part of Google Play Services on virtually all official Android phones. Even if your device is lagging on security updates, you shouldn't have to worry.

Users have been rooting their Android phones ever since the first handsets hit the market, but it's less common these days. The platform offers many of the features people used to root in order to acquire. Using rooted Android is basically like running a computer in administrator mode. While it's possible to run a rooted phone safely, it's definitely a security risk. Some exploits and malware needs root access to function, and otherwise it's harmless even if you do somehow install it. If you don't have a good reason to root your phone or tablet, just don't open yourself up to that possibility.

It really just takes a tiny bit of common sense to avoid Android malware. If you do nothing else, keeping your downloads limited to the Play Store and other 100% trustworthy sources will keep you safe from almost all threats out there. The antivirus apps are at best redundant and at worst a detriment to your system performance.


© Nikko Ranara of NikkoDay.Co