Tablet antivirus help needed

kitrat

I have a tablet which I'd like to use for internet purchases and internet banking so I want to have antivirus protection installed.

Now I've downloaded the free AVG tablet app and I've also tried the Norton free mobile app. I'm running android and I have a little thing that shows me how many/which applications are running, but it never tells me that the antivirus app is running unless I've specifically found the app icon and opened it.

So my question is is the antivirus running in the background anyway? Does it start workig when I switch on the tablet or do I need to click to open the app? Without being able to see that it is running I don't have confidence that it's actually doing anything.

Thanks for any help.

Collabora

they run as soon as tablet switched on just like they do on a PC. I use Kaspersky

securityguy

It's not possible for an "anti virus" application to do what is claimed on Android. The security model makes it impossible for such software to operate without rooting the device, which would itself be insecure. These "security" products are snake oil.

"I don't have confidence that it's actually doing anything."

It can't do anything. Or at least, it can't do anything remotely close to what you want.

wongataa

If you have an Android tablet remove the anti-virus apps you have installed. They cannot do anything for malware. All they can do is slow the tablet down.

sillygoose

securityguy wrote: »

It's not possible for an "anti virus" application to do what is claimed on Android. The security model makes it impossible for such software to operate without rooting the device, which would itself be insecure. These "security" products are snake oil.

"I don't have confidence that it's actually doing anything."

It can't do anything. Or at least, it can't do anything remotely close to what you want.

Absolutely agree, have been telling people this a long time.

Although what they 'potentially' could do is check for a malware signature in other apps and at least warn of a problem even if they couldn't actually deal with it. Avira seems to have a go at this without any significant cost in performance as it only scans apps when they are installed or occasionally. Of course it quite possibly is doing nothing useful at all, who can tell.

KxMx

Methods of hacking and malware change all the time and mobile devices are being increasingly targeted.

I know it's an unpopular view but I would always use protection on such a device. I feel it is naive to say nothing bad can ever happen to an android so don't bother with AV etc!

HoofeHearted

Download Malwarebytes for Android as well.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.malwarebytes.antimalware&hl=en_GB

wongataa

KxMx wrote: »

Methods of hacking and malware change all the time and mobile devices are being increasingly targeted.

Quite possibly true.

KxMx wrote: »

I know it's an unpopular view but I would always use protection on such a device. I feel it is naive to say nothing bad can ever happen to an android so don't bother with AV etc!

The way the permission system works on Android means that an anti-virus app is unable to do anything about malware. You have to specifically allow all the permissions an app want to install it. That means if you install a dodgy app you have granted it permission do do whatever it wants. As it has been granted permission to do whatever it wants the Android system or an A/V app cannot stop it. You can't block things that have been allowed.

Therefore A/V apps on Android are useless.