Security for android Tablet

moonpenny

Thanks for all replies. I am not going to install anything at the moment as I think the majority of you are saying I don't need to on a tablet.

dipsomaniac

you don't need av on mobile or tablet. you don't need third party (avg, avast etc) av on windows. you just need to make sure you only download software/click links from trusted sources

i have never installed a av on mobile or tablet and haven't used a third party av on windows for at least 10 years. the only problem i have had is when i stupidly downloaded some software from a link on here to my pc which included the chromium virus/malware

DoaM

As per most others, AV on an Android device is essentially a placebo ... it makes you feel like you've got protection whilst doing very little at all for the CPU cycles it absorbs.

PRAISETHESUN

If you don't enable the "allow install apps from other sources" settings in the android security settings tab then the chance of you actually downloading and installing something that could compromise your phone is rather low. That said, many AV programs can also scan for low quality/dodgy apps from the play store, or malicious/fraudulent websites that are meant to trick you into giving up your details so AV programs they still have their place. With the amount of high profile data leaks that occur on basically a daily occurrence these days I personally think you'd be silly not to have AV of some description on every device you own. I recommend Sophos (several years after I graduated and I still have access to my university's business subscription), but the free AVG works well in a pinch too. Generally viruses, etc are written to avoid detection by the free versions of these software as they are the more widely available, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a paid software is actually any better.

I'd reccomend doing some research for yourself - check out the link from Tech Advisor below: https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/google-android/do-you-need-antivirus-on-android-3668607/

AndyPix

AV on any mobile device is completely useless unless your device is rooted.


This is a cold hard fact - for reasons discussed on this forum many many times before


It physically cannot scan any other apps on the device apart from their names.
Impossible for it to analyse the behaviour of any other apps.
Impossible to scan them for known virus heuristics


Again - completely useless - It leaves you asking "So what can it do ?"


The answer is it can eat CPU cycles , make you feel better that you are "protected", and line the pockets of the AV companies


The media hype over security has everyone quaking in their boots thinking everything including their toasters need security software.


The AV companies love this and perpetuate this myth