Could Your Favorite App Infect Your Device?

When considering solutions to help ensure your business’ IT security, mobile devices often go overlooked. This makes sense--for most of the time the telephone has existed, it has been attached to a wall, only capable of transmitting sound. However, with phones now being palm-sized computers that we carry in our pockets, keeping them safe from cyberthreats has a new importance.

Part of maintaining security on a mobile device is to protect it from picking up viruses, which means that you need to have a mobile antivirus solution installed. Of course, Google has released its own internal safeguard, called Play Protect, that is supposed to catch malicious apps and updates. By scanning everything that is uploaded to the Play Store, and again before it is installed on each device, Play Protect’s job is to catch malware and other threats before a user’s device is exposed to these nefarious programs.

The trouble is, Play Protect isn’t very good at its job.

When the industry average for real-time malware detection rates is 94.8 percent, and rises to 96.9 percent over four weeks, it isn’t a good sign if your rates are 48.5 percent and 66.3 percent, respectively.

Fortunately, there are antivirus apps available for download with prevention rates that are above-average, many of them free. Many are similar to Play Protect in that they serve as a comprehensive mobile security suite. While the benefits certainly balance out any of the downsides that these apps have, it helps to know the possible downside.

For instance, some antivirus apps (like Avast Mobile Security and McAfee Mobile Security) are supported by ads, which many users may find to be a pain. Norton Security Antivirus doesn’t block a user from visiting a malicious website, but it does allow a user to remotely lock a lost phone via text message.

When so much business can be completed through a mobile device, you owe it to yourself, your employees, and your clients to make sure your mobile devices are well managed, and are as secure as possible. Washington Works can help implement the security solutions, including mobile antivirus, that keep your business safely productive. Reach out to us at 301-571-5040 for more information.