Messaging, iMessaging
It is estimated that about 150 million people use android smart phones in 2013, that number according to some experts will be double in 2015. Reports have it that about a thousand Smartphone’s is sold every hour in West Africa alone, that number is staggering. Due to its popularity and frequent use by many individuals protecting ones android device is important. The vast number of security applications available for android platform makes it impossible to cover them all, but what follows should give you a good sense of the options available when seeking further protection for your Android device and the data that resides on it.
There are many free security application available for smartphones running Android operating system.
It will be wise to take certain security precautions, like password that will protect your smart device and setting it to auto-lock after a specified period of time. This does not require a third party application. These features can be accessed within Settings > Location & Security. And most Android devices offer a variety of lock and unlock options, including a numeric PIN, a password or a graphical pattern. AVG Antivirus- free scans all applications, settings, files and media connected devices in real time; guards against phishing attacks, prevents access to malicious web sites, kills tasks that slow down or freeze the device, and allows users to locate a lost or stolen phone via Google Maps, locks the device remotely, displays a custom lock screen message, and makes the phone ring even if it’s on silent mode. NQ Mobile Security- free blocks viruses, malware, spyware and Trojans, and prevents access to phishing sites. Privacy protection monitors applications that could access your private data without permission, and system optimization closes application that runs in the background without your knowledge.
Traffic monitoring functionality ensures that you don’t go over your set limits, and allows you to rank applications by data consumption. Contacts and messages can be backed up for free, and the application can also be used to locate a lost or stolen phone. It also has the ability to lock and wipe a lost or stolen phone, and to activate an alarm remotely. TrustGo Antivirus & Mobile Security- free allows on-demand or scheduled scans of your phone and SD card to find and remove viruses, malware, spyware and Trojans. Application Secured Finder Engine helps users find and download applications that are known to be safe. The application can also provide alerts when users browse to malicious web sites, and can monitor and manage the phone’s data usage, battery consumption and memory usage. A privacy dashboard displays all permissions used by installed applications.
Device data can be backed up in the cloud, and a lost or stolen phone can be located, locked and/or wiped, and an alarm can be set off remotely. Avast! Mobile Security- free offers a variety of solutions, including a Virus Scanner that enables on-demand scans of applications installed on the device and SD card, also scans newly installed applications upon first launch.
The Privacy Advisor displays the access rights and intents of installed application, identifying any potential privacy risks.
The Application Manager shows a list of running applications along with their size, CPU load, used memory, and number of threads and related services, and enables the user to stop or uninstall any application as needed. The Web Shield scans every URL loaded on the device, and warns the user if a malwareinfected site is being accessed. The SMS and Call Filter can be used to filter calls and/or messages from the user’s contact lists. Anti- theft features include the ability to disguise the application with a custom name, to hide the application icon in the application tray, and more. If a device is lost or stolen, it can be remotely prompted to sound a siren, lock, display a custom message, be located on a map, be wiped remotely, and more. Webroot SecureAnywhere Mobile- free scans all applications and files for viruses, spyware and Trojans; blocks access to phishing web sites; blocks unwanted calls and texts; and allows users to locate a lost or stolen device on a map, remotely lock the device, and sound an alarm as needed.
Webroot SecureAnywhere Mobile has the ability to lock the device automatically if the SIM card is removed; remotely wipe a lost or stolen device; monitor battery status and power usage; view applications that are accessing the network; and identify applications that can access your messages, cost you money, access sensitive data, track your location, and/ or drain your battery. Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus- free scans application as they are being installed on the device or on demand to check for malware; provides a clear view of all application permissions, noting those that can access the Internet, view sensitive data, and/or incur charges; and enables the user to locate a lost or stolen device. the ability to block access to phishing web sites, and to lock and/or wipe a lost or stolen phone, sound an alarm on it remotely, and/or send a
customized message to the device.
free scans every application you install for malware, and offers an on-demand scan of all applications, include those on the device’s SD card. The application Privacy Advisor enables the user to filter installed applications according to their risk potential, including their ability to incur charges, to harm privacy, to access the Internet, etc. The application also provides users with the ability to lock and locate a lost or stolen device.
GadgetTrak If you’re mostly concerned about tracking a lost or stolen device (rather than scanning for malware), GadgetTrak Mobile Security ($19.95/year) uses a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi positioning and cell tower triangulation to track a device’s exact location. All photos and contacts on the device can be encrypted and backed up securely. In case of theft, a piercing alarm can be activated remotely even if the device is in silent mode, and all personal data can be remotely wiped from the device and the SD card.
The software is designed to be tamper-proof, and alerts the user of any unauthorised SIM change or assignment of a new number to the device. New reports trending on iOS show that messaging on the device is now the most frequently used application onMichael. okeke@ thisdaylive.com