Call the shots on viruses
Computers, as everyone knows, are breeding grounds for viruses. In fact, they’re the hitech equivalent of standing next to someone blowing their nose in a crowded train carriage. That’s why you should never use one without protective software installed.
But what about the phone in your pocket? Today’s handsets are fully functional miniPCs with as much, if not more, processing power than the one on your desktop. So do they need an anti-virus app, too? The short answer is that it depends what sort of phone you have and how you use it.
iPhones operate within a “walled garden” cultivated by Apple itself, and software that does not meet a set of stringent criteria is not allowed into the app store and cannot, in theory, find its way to your phone. It’s not a cast-iron guarantee of security, but for nine out of ten users it’s the next best thing.
Google adopts a more relaxed policy to what it lets into its Android Play Store. Many apps contain quite aggressive advertpushing techniques which can sometimes be disguised as desktop-style alerts that your phone is infected. These are harmless in themselves but taken at face value, they are annoying and, for some users, upsetting.
That doesn’t mean you should put your hand in your pocket and pay some nameless vendor for protection, however. There are plenty of free anti-virus apps available, for Android and iPhones, and if it’s peace of mind you’re after, any one will suffice. Look for names like Avira, Avast and Bullguard, but be careful to choose the free option. If you’re nagged to buy a subscription, uninstall and look elsewhere.
Remember that your phone can’t pick up a virus unless you accidentally install one – and if you spend your time browsing only mainstream websites and using the better-known apps, that’s unlikely to happen.
The bigger risk to security is not from a virus at all but your own carelessness. Phones are easily lost or stolen, and you don’t want someone else looking at your emails and texts, let alone your Amazon and bank login details. If the worst happens, those anti-virus apps will usually let you erase your phone remotely, by
Free apps can protect your phone and foil thieves, writes David Behrens.