Antivirus Apps for iOS and Android: Do You Need Them?

Even if you are used to having to protect yourself from malware and viruses on your computer, security tools are less common on phones. Do you need to install antivirus applications on your smartphone or are the built-in protections provided with Android and iOS sufficient to keep you safe?

This is not the simplest question to answer, especially because of the differences between Android and iOS. A multitude of antivirus tools are available on Android, while they do not exist at all on iOS. Applications do not have full system access on Apple's mobile operating system that an antivirus program must run.

The installation of applications outside the officially approved App Store is also easier to do on Android. That is why Epic Games could go ahead and be distributed. Fortnite directly to Android phone users.

The questions are really whether Android users need the proliferation of free and paid security tools, and if iOS users can rest easy knowing that Apple has performed all the work necessary to protect the phones from any unwanted malicious code.

Low risk … but not no risk

The good news is that if you keep your phone up to date with the latest patches, stay true to the well-known applications of Google Play Store (which is far from foolproof, FYI) and the Apple App Store, and avoid touching suspicious links. that arrive on your phone, you are largely protected against malware.

"Assuming you stay in the official apps shops and you do not use your phone, we would say that the risk of smartphone infection in Western countries is still relatively low," he said. said Andreas Clementi, CEO of the independent AV-Comparatives antivirus testing company. Gizmodo by email.

"However, we must emphasize that" low risk "is not the same as" no risk ". In addition, the threat situation can change quickly and dramatically. "

Clementi's distinction in "Western countries" is a nod to the large number of rooted phones and third-party application stores available in Asia, where attempts to steal bank references, for example, are legion. There, the threat of dangerous applications is "significantly increased," according to Clementi.

If you want to install an app outside the Play Store on Android, try something or play Fortnite, maybe – be very careful in checking its reliability and make sure to download it from a reliable and verified source (the Epic Games website, in the case of Fortnite).

If you follow the instructions we mentioned, the built-in Android security is "as good or better than most third-party security tools," said Craig Young, Security Research Manager at Tripwire VERT, by email.

"As long as users comply with security best practices to install updates in a timely manner and do not allow applications to become a" device administrator ", their device is unlikely to be infected." , says Young.

Note however the qualifications, such as updates in a timely manner. The longer the manufacturer of your phone waits for the latest patches, the more risk you will run.

Although the risk of malware infection is low, installing a competent Android-based security tool will reduce it further. Andreas Clementi of AV-Comparatives still recommends installing "appropriate security software" on Android, especially to help deal with new threats that Google may not yet have apprehended.

In general, it is an antivirus tool provided by one of the largest providers of well-known security solutions and is not too aggressive to keep an eye on the applications on your phone. AVG, Norton, Avast, Bitdefender and Avira are some of the security names you can trust with the Android products on offer. You can check the latest AV-Comparatives Android antivirus report here.

Kirsty Edwards, director of Lookout, a mobile security specialist, agrees that protection is needed, especially for businesses and businesses.

"Like all operating systems, Android and iOS are constantly updated, and these updates include security patches," Edwards told Gizmodo via email. "In fact, Apple's latest update, iOS 12.2, included fixes for 51 security vulnerabilities. And every month, Google's security update for Android fixes critical security vulnerabilities up to then unknown. "

All security experts with whom we spoke agree that iOS is more secure from the outset on Android and, as we have already explained, iPhone owners anyway do not the ability to install antivirus tools. But that does not mean that iOS can not be the target of malicious attacks. Getting spyware on an iPhone is difficult, but not impossible.

We have also seen unscrupulous software vendors using enterprise developer certificates to transfer pirated applications to iOS – the same certificates that have caused problems for Google and Facebook. Apple claims to have taken steps to combat the misuse of corporate certificates, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that iOS users can not become complacent.

Minimize security risks

So, if the risk of malware-infected applications coming to your smartphone is relatively low, what other potential dangers should you look for? Phishing is the main thing. The hackers are trying to make you exploit a web pop-up or a suspicious link in an e-mail or an SMS.

"Being compromised is always as simple as clicking on the wrong prompt, following a malicious link, or even receiving an illegal text message," says Craig Young. "Users need to be extremely aware of the prompts they click on and whether passwords are entered on legitimate websites."

Typically, you may be prompted to install an unverified application or grant permissions that you should not grant – or most likely, give passwords and usernames to your key accounts. .

"Phishing has become one of the most widespread threats on mobiles. Users are increasingly inclined to click on a phishing link because of the small size of their screen, their instantaneous use and the impossibility of hovering over a link before clicking on it. Adds Kirsty Edwards.

Earlier this year, we saw a phishing scam on the iPhone that simulated a "file identifier" from Apple Technical Support to encourage users to share their personal information. Your phone may not be infected with malware, but access to your most important data can still be compromised.

The general rules are the same, as always: be wary of the links inserted in the texts or e-mails of your phone. If you think that you are not on the official website, regardless of the service you are trying to access, access it by typing the appropriate URL into your browser before you log in.

As we have already recommended, enable two-factor authentication on all possible services. This blocks many phishing attacks, like the one discovered several months ago in some Android apps.

Finally, beware of requests for authorizations issued by applications: applications may not be malware (so they are listed in official application stores), but they may also attempt to collect data that you do not wish to disclose.

"An application that counts the steps that the user performs each day does not need to access the phone book or the call log," says Andreas Clementi, giving an excellent example overbreadth of data. "Of course, even if an application behaves this way, it does not necessarily mean that it is malicious, but it makes sense to determine whether it is genuine and worthy of use."

Today, we should all rely largely on established and trusted applications, rather than experimenting with dozens of new applications each month, which reduces the chances of being caught in a data collection application. That said, be on your guard: games and utility applications often serve as a cover for malicious activity.

If you are installing an application that you have not tried yet, nothing wrong with that, keep an eye on its reviews, the history of the software developers behind this app and think about how it actually wins money. We have more indicators about this here.

App permissions have gradually become easier to manage on iOS and Android: tap any app settings on iOS to see the permissions associated with it, or choose Apps and notifications then Permissions of the application in settings if you are on Android.

Keeping your data confidential and protected is a slightly different problem from keeping malware out of your phone, even though the two are often linked: we've already described all the ways your phone and apps can monitor you, and what methods you can use to limit this type of data collection.

However, when it comes to security software on your phone, all our experts agree that keeping your mobile operating system up-to-date, as well as common sense about the applications you install and the permissions that you you give them, greatly contributes to your safety. malware coders and phishers are developing ever more sophisticated tactics.