Bitcoin Forum

Having antivirus application installed on our mobile phones is recommendable as we access our crypto wallets, mails, etc  through our mobile phones on regular basics. Most of us feel having antivirus on our pc is priority forgetting the fact that our phones contain sensitive materials, files, keys, that must be protected from malwares. Downloading your apps from the google play store is not 100% guarantee enough. You need a good antivirus installed to protect you from unknown applications and pops up messages.

The security experts at AV-TEST have conducted new research to determine the best antivirus solutions of Android, and the results pretty much speak for themselves. Once again, they confirm third-party protection is better than first party, even if it’s available free of charge.

AV-TEST has conducted the study by analyzing a set of 17 security products for Android and testing their engines in three different categories, namely:

• protection
• performance
• usability

Google Play Protect served as the baseline product and received 0 points for protection, but six for performance and four for usability.
Most products received the maximum 18 points in the study, as it follows:  

• AhnLab V3 Mobile Security (#post_AhnLab)
• Avast Mobile Security (#post_Avast)
• AVG Antivirus Free (#post_AVG)
• Avira Antivirus Security (#post_Avira)
• Bitdefender Mobile Security (#post_Bitdefender)
• G data Mobile Security (#post_GData)
• Kaspersky Internet Security for Android (#post_Kaspersky)
• McAfee Mobile Security (#post_McAfee)
• NortonLifeLock 360 (#post_NortonLifeLock)
• Protected Total AV (#post_Protectednet)
• Trend Micro Mobile Security (#post_TrendMicro)

All these products received 6 points for protection, 6 points for performance, and 6 points for usability.

---

Avast Mobile Security (https://www.avast.com/index?sid=SID_35_aa22c04f850b68535d21adc2fe86be1b_hl_7&subId2=listbtn&subId3=visit#pc) -   https://i.imgur.com/3lWjCOK.jpg

---

Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus is one of the most full-featured of the best Android antivirus apps, offering everything from a privacy adviser to a system optimizer to a customizable blacklist.

Features
Inexpensive premium version
Lots of features for free
Callblocking doesn't work
Unreliable anti-theft features
Too many ads in free version

---

 
Bitdefender Mobile Security (https://bitdefender.evyy.net/c/221109/278689/4466?subId1=tomsguide-row-1300104129517041200&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bitdefender.com%2Fsolutions%2Fmobile-security-android.html) -   https://i.imgur.com/i0cKmpo.jpg

---

Bitdefender's Android security app has nearly flawless malware protection, a very light performance impact, Android Wear watch integration, a VPN client and a malicious-website blocker that works with most Android browsers.


Features
Top malware protection
Affordable premium version
Many useful features
Small system impact
Expensive unlimited VPN option

---

Norton Moblie Security (https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=92X363&xcust=hawk_custom-tracking&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fus.norton.com%2Fmobile-security-for-android&sref=https%3A%2F%2Funknown.dont.care%2Funknown&sid=tomsguide_row_1398415887477417500) -   https://i.imgur.com/80uKTho.jpg

---

Norton Mobile Security offers the best malware protection of any of the Android antivirus apps we tested. Unfortunately, Norton quietly killed the app's excellent anti-theft functions in early December 2019, along with its contacts-backup and Link Guard malicious-link blocker.


Features

Flawless malware detection
App Advisor beats the competition
Intuitive design
No more anti-theft functions
No more free tier

---

Kaspersky (https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/8900245/type/dlg/sid/tomsguide-row-1165831518067914000/https://usa.kaspersky.com/android-security?sid=hawk-custom-tracking) -   https://i.imgur.com/QyfWjVI.jpg

---

Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus, also known as Kaspersky Internet Security for Android, offers nearly-perfect malware protection, a small system impact and a call blocker that actually works.


Features

Strong malware protection
Call blocking works
No ads in free version
Limited features overall
Free version won't auto-scan new apps

---

McAfee Mobile Security (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wsandroid.suite) -  https://i.imgur.com/0CNFCbD.jpg  

---

Like Avast, McAfee offers a ton of useful features, but its free version is also full of ads and upsell suggestions. The malware protection is decent, if not fantastic, and a useful "Guest" feature lets other people safely use your phone for a short time.


Features
Lots of free features
Useful guest mode
Too many ads in free version
Pricey premium tiers
So-so malware protection

---

G Data Mobile Security (https://www.gdatasoftware.com/internet-security) -   https://i.imgur.com/2mCTxkR.jpg

---

G Data developed the very first antivirus utility way back in 1985. Yes, the German company is better known in Europe than here in the US. Yes, others may point to a different product as the first antivirus. But there's no question that G Data has a long and admirable history. While G Data Antivirus is the company's entry-level product, it goes well beyond the basics of antivirus protection.


Features
Excellent score in our hands-on
malware protection test.
Protects against banking Trojans, keyloggers, ransomware, and exploits.
So-so score in our phishing protection test.
Mixed scores in independent lab tests.
Ransomware protection only partially effective
Includes spam filter

---

Trend Micro (https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/forHome/products/antivirus-plus.html) -    https://i.imgur.com/JTbHqe3.jpg

---

To even be considered a full-scale antivirus, a program must sweep away all existing malware infestations and protect the system against new attacks. That’s the minimum. Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security goes way beyond that minimum. The "plus" in its name refers to a wealth of bonus features, among them a firewall booster, layered ransomware protection, and a hardened browser for online banking. Add those to an effective core antivirus system and you've got a product that's well worth a look.


Features


Very good scores in our antiphishing and malicious URL blocking tests
Multilayered ransomware protection
Pay Guard protects online transactions
Many bonus features
Poor score in our hands-on malware protection test
Some poor scores in independent lab tests
Social network link protection choices dated
No multi-device volume licensing

---

Ahn Lab V3 mobile Security (https://global.ahnlab.com/site/product/productSubDetail.do?prodSeq=11325) -   https://i.imgur.com/af3fCZg.jpg

---

AhnLab V3 Mobile Security is a comprehensive mobile solution for anti-malware, anti-theft and privacy protection. It protects your sensitive data through a complete analysis of data access levels against mobile malware and malicious applications, and helps you find your lost or stolen device.

Features
Optimized security solution for Android smartphones and tablets
Full-scale protection against the latest mobile malware (malicious apps), spam, and data leakage
Secure protection for personal data, applications, memory cards, and operating systems
Designed to use less battery power and less memory
Employs the proven, world-class mobile AV engine, V3 Mobile

---

Avira antivirus security (https://www.avira.com/en/free-antivirus-windows) -   https://i.imgur.com/YFfCrUd.jpg

---

Everybody needs antivirus protection, even people on a limited budget. Founded in 1986, Avira protects hundreds of millions of users worldwide with its free Avira Antivirus. This product gets excellent scores from the independent labs, and it brings along a collection of related Avira products. It successfully blocked access to malware-hosting URLs in our testing, but fell down in our phishing protection test.

Features

Excellent scores from independent testing labs.
Good score in our malware blocking test.
Free.
Option to install many related Avira products.
Slow on-demand scan.
Browser protection only for Chrome and Firefox.
So-so antiphishing score.
Real-time protection missed some malware EXEs, identified some valid programs as malware.
Helps to secure your lost or stolen device using remote commands

---

Protected TotalAV (https://www.protected.net/protected-net) -   https://i.imgur.com/ofsHpmx.jpg

---

There's no doubt that antivirus protection is essential to the security of your devices and data. But if antivirus is all you have, some bonus security features start to seem essential as well. With TotalAV Essential Antivirus, you get a collection of tune-up features, along with extra-cost options to add VPN protection, identity monitoring, ad blocking, and password management. Unfortunately, even the presence of real-time antivirus protection isn't enough to make this product a really good choice.


Featues

Decent phishing protection.
Includes tune-up, disk cleanup.
Well-designed user interface.
Speedy scan.
Poor scores in our malware protection test and malicious URL blocking test.
No results from test labs we follow.
Marked many dangerous downloads as safe.
Expensive.

---

AVG (https://www.avg.com/en-ww/ppc/protection-offer-comparison-04?ppc_code=012&ppc=a&gclid=CjwKCAiArbv_BRA8EiwAYGs23F4s95Ut674-ynnwRxKKU6O2--xQLK3oPIl_zMa_YX0eAv67ydg7HhoCrmMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) -   https://i.imgur.com/Vi9h1Fi.jpg

---

AVG packs excellent protection into its free antivirus utility. If you want more than the basics, you must upgrade directly to the company's security suite, AVG Internet Security - Unlimited. The suite adds several useful components beyond what you get with AVG's free antivirus. Whether these merit switching to a for-pay model is something you have to decide for yourself.

Features
Very good scores in multiple independent lab tests and our own hands-on tests.
Unlimited licenses.
Includes ransomware protection and webcam protection.
Initial scan slower than average.
Unusually large impact in performance tests




sources
https://news.softpedia.com/news/the-best-new-antivirus-for-android-531806.shtml
https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-android-antivirus
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews

• The best protection is don't do stupid things on your devices.
• Antivirus softwares (AVs) don't protect you completely
  
  • There are risks that your AVs fail to detect malwares when heuristic or behavior analyses or behavior-based protection fail to detect threats
  • If a malware is entirely new, the risk is higher
• You should not put your life at risks (by stupid web-surfing behavior) then leave it to AVs to protect you from potential threats
• You can compare AVs with vaccine in the pandemic time. A good vaccine only reduce probability of infection for you but not 100% wipe out the risk. The same goes for AVs. You should not take a vaccination, then go to a crowd and say I am vaccinated and I won't be infected with the virus.

---

Heuristic analysis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heuristic_analysis)
Behavior-based Protection (https://www.kaspersky.com/enterprise-security/wiki-section/products/behavior-based-protection)

To be honest, I dont have any protection such as AV on my mobile phone but on my desktop, yes, there is.  But did you know that there's no computer system that totally safe or virus-proof?  Why?  
Because all android phones always have released and do patches regularly to combat at a potential risk that you may download from unknown sources.  So, the best thing to do is always up to date the version of your android to increase the security level and to ensure that you are protected.

Upon installing a crypto wallet on your android learn how to verify first before deciding to download, use a legitimate website instead of in the Google Play store and I think recommendable as you said is now an option to them.  The last thing is, always separate your email for the Bitcoin wallet.

Anyway, thank you for that list and might helpful from other aspects, but if only focus on Bitcoin wallet, I don't think it is recommendable.

Are antivirus even needed ? LOL

I find antivirus to be storage consuming apps which decreases your device performance. I won't say it's not worth it but rather it depends on an individual and his behavior on the device.
Antivirus might be good for less tech savvy people who tend to download the wrong files repeatedly but otherwise I don't think there's a need for antivirus.
Many times, there's a virus in the antivirus itself, sending your data to the hackers  ;D

Phone is less risk for virus attack since its use limited to people daily lives unlike computer that you keep installing random apps and browse on any website.

I believe 2FA and other built in security of the typical crypto wallet is enough to protect funds there.

Most android device will receive updates for 2 to 3 years.
Afterwards, only very infrequently which means you are quite vulnerable.




You are up to decide: Rather a little bit less performance but safe, or no protection at all increasing the risks of getting malware ?




Sure, if you are tech savy you don't necessarily need one. But if you are using windows, you definitely need one regardless of how "tech savy" you think you are.




You are wrong.
Smartphones are a very common way to infiltrate someone. Especially because people don't think too much about their mobiles when talking about security.

---

Smartphones are small little computers containing lots of sensitive information about you.
Stop seeing them as a telephone. They are mini computers. And they need to be protected as such.

Well OP is talking about smartphones, so yeah, I don't think an antivirus would be that much necessary on smartphones because it won't make much of a difference I guess.


Yes you are right on this, windows is full of shit, no matter how tech savvy anyone is, malwares will always find a way into your system.
This is why I migrated to Linux more than 2 years ago and love it for what it is. No antivirus shit needed on Linux as it is less prone to viruses anyway.

Agree with that, I don't even use this Antivirus software but personally, I don't trust McAfee and Avast Security just because they are linked to some application secretly which you download.

Your Phone should be fine as long as you do not download anything that is harmful or suspicious, But I don't think it's worth it downloading because it could decrease the performance a lot especially in a smartphone, It could work if you have a fast or expensive phone but for some smartphone, it might not be worth it and could just slow down your phone. In my experience, this antivirus application actually detects suspicious files which is useful but for some people, it's kinda like the phone of having an Android phone. You could just buy an Apple phone if you want a more secure phone.

I personally don't recommend antivirus when it comes to PC especially applications that came from nowhere I the windows security or firewall already works great.

I consider most anti virus as bloatware on the computer, as it usually bogs the system down, because its constantly checking its databases for "threats", and even then its usually using poor techniques which bring up a lot of false positives. I can't imagine how much an antivirus would bog down a mobile device, since the hardware is usually much, much lower than a computer.

I don't recommend anti virus to anyone usually, unless they are completely unaware of general security practices, and even then its likely doing more harm, than good by providing an illusion of being safe, and therefore allowing the user to become complacent. I'm also pretty sure, that some anti viruses say they have found a threat, and automatically cleaned it up, despite there being nothing to clean up, to give you the impression that its actually doing something.

Likely not hackers but yeah they do collect it (which software don't?)

They disguise that by saying, 'To protect you better, we collect your data".

Antivirus will only protect you from malware and spywares but in crypto space stupidity can make you lose your money, in this case antivirus is not really needed, I would choose 2FA over antivirus, I would choose to use strong passwords, fingerprint lock to secure my smartphone instead of antivirus

You usually have the 2FA apps on your phone right? What happens when your phone gets infected with the malware?

---

Tons of malware tends to get through the sieve and still gets posted onto the Play Store. That also means that most malware are made to specifically evade detection by the various AVs. You can probably get slightly more protection by installing an AV but keep in mind some are made to spy on their user.

It's not terrible to have an AV but you can't get complacent from having one. If you want a decent level of security on your phone, there are features like Samsung Knox which tries to sandbox certain apps and could help enhance your security.

Lets be honest for once with each other, since android version 2.0 I haven't seen where by a malware takes over an android smartphone, I've seen and  heard about spywares on phones but not malwares, if you have seen one please kindly confirm and let's hear you out, everyone seem to be scared of malware but never seen one affecting a phone

Spyware is categorized under malware, if that's what you mean. I'm completely honest on the forum, I don't gain anything from lying.

Malware are usually not designed to "take over" devices and they are usually quite specialized in certain things, in mobile phone's context that entails click fraud. Having a malware that takes over an entire device and having it evade detection is presumably tougher than one that aims to only achieve one thing.

Zero day exploits are a thing and they were previously used in malware for it's privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2019-2215).


A few reports that I've found within 5 minutes, report seems to indicate that there's more than one malware in the wild.

https://www.mcafee.com/content/dam/consumer/en-us/docs/2020-Mobile-Threat-Report.pdf
https://www.avira.com/en/blog/malware-threat-report-q2-2020-statistics-and-trends

---

Though I have to admit, sandboxing apps could try to mitigate the risk but it's evident that there are ways to go around it.

I get the idea of having your device protected from malware, but how safe do you feel having installed a so-called "free" software that constantly scans your files.. especially when you have files containing your wallets on your device?

I'd rather just not click non-trusted links and stay away from non-official (and non-verified) software. Chances of messing up are way lower.

That's not how the mobile operating system works.

Android makes use of the unix permissions to seperate applications from each other.
Application A is running under user X and application B is running as user Y. They can't access each others files. The unix permissions don't allow that.

Therefore an AV on android also can't scan wallet files. At least not as long your phone isn't rooted and the software has gotten the permission to do so.

Actually, I was like a guy who buys new mobile along with premium anti virus as an add on for premium price in the show room itself but now I realized it doesn't make sense to buy or install an antivirus on android. Even though Android is prone to getting infected with malware the antivirus are not going to save us from malwares from my personal experience. So we should be keen when installing any apps even on the playstore and take a look at the permissions that app needs. Google play protect was bit lazy to remove shady apps so if you installed it before they review it then you will be vulnerable as well.

Not a bad idea but installing a free plan anti virus is just not a very good idea because all they do is bug your phone and make it slow. I'm using Avast AV the premium plans are cheap and thanks that's the best for me

Not a fan of anti viruses on android or otherwise but If you use miui, it has inbuilt security app with av scanner, it fetches it's virus definitions from various av providers so you don't have to install av app separately.

The bigger problem in this case is that majority of cases that involve cryptocurrency wallets and users losing their funds to malicious ones has nothing to do with malware so it can not even be detected by an anti virus no matter how sophisticated they are.
For example all these fake Electrum wallets for both desktop and android have nothing malware-like but they still rob users funds all the same.

Clone and fake apps are the ones stealing crypto assets from the users so spending our money on Anti virus and feel like we are completely safe is also stupidity so we should be aware all the time or better keep crypto wallets on secondary smartphones and never install any apps other than stocks and wallets.

Antivirus keeps your phone safe, also I encounter sometimes example in Huawei if you don't run an antivirus scan your phone suddenly slows running application, is slow, I don't know yet what is the for it, but I think to be safe for any thief, don't just install apps especially with airdrops, those applications can't be detected by antivirus, also apk files we don't know where that came from and it might have hidden executive file that might harm your phone and hacker might use that as a backdoor.

devices that are always connected to the internet have a very high risk of being hacked. Even if you have a secondary smartphone and never installed anything, when it is targeted on your local network or on a public network it will still be hacked. All systems are not safe.
A good and safer option for now is to store assets on hardware wallets such as ledge, trezor etc.

never use an unknown public network because there will be many risks.

Almost every device connected to internet are prone to hack but it doesn't because every devices can be hacked.Only we will be hacked if we give an opportunity for the hacker to let in to our device which can be anything like a by installing an unknown apps, using public network which aren't protected,etc.

If you have a secondary smartphone it can be used as hardware wallet too and we never have to connect that device to internet to make transactions.Make the second one as offline air gapped wallet then pair the wallet on watch only mode on your primary mobile.

Someone actually made a guide regarding this, if I can able to find it will leave the link here.

This would be a way to implement an air-gapped cold wallet setup. That's not the same as a hardware wallet.

A hardware wallet is meant to be secure when used with compromised device as it stores the keys securely. This can't be sad about a standard smartphone.

An air-gapped setup definitely isn't worse, but actually more secure, when used correctly, but it has other advantages and isn't a hardware wallet.

Probably I meant to say that you can use it is secured wallet like a hardware wallet. :D A smartphone connected to the internet can never be considered as secure no matter how keen we are when clicking the links and installing apps so the best choice is hardware wallet which is cheaper than buying a cheap android and using it for air gapped wallet.

Presumably, most bitcoiners or crypto enthusiast uses their phones more frequent than they do use their laptops. Why am I saying this,it's just using myself as a case study and the gadgets in question (Phones and laptops). There portability and how your bond to be more frequently with one than the other.

It's more easier to access your phone where ever you are with lots of comfort than you would do with your laptop hence, the phone needs a lot of protecting as well and at times, it's got lots of apps that isn't functional to our crypto course and yet, we barely care about an anti virus for any phone protection. It's always been about the PCs and that's how the mentality grew.

Phones need anti viruses too especially one with lots of apps and encounters a lot of ads view and pop ups, you never know when you might click what isn't what it should be and have your device infected. Always let the "do not allow the installation of apps from unknown source" on. It could be the best chance to safety you've got.

Please be aware that a fake Norton anti-virus email has been sent out to Norton anti-virus subscribers in an attempt to steal personal information. Do not click and always make payment through your Norton profile and not through your email address. Maintain a high level of safety and vigilance.
https://i.imgur.com/K0HZMAg.png

BUMP!!!!

Idk I use netguard (not av!) , restrict net access to everything except few apps that I use, where would it sent data if it has no access to net? Also, being safe with sites you use, apps you download and permissions you give them are good measures. Most mobile malwares enter and spread because people give shady apps admin privileges.

So the service we are subscribed even get hacked or the data of the customers have been stolen then how can we expect them to save us from those malware attacks. ::) Generally Android device doesn't need anti virus because this OS don't even have any virus yet to freeze our system but their other features can be useful for performance tweak nothing else.

I’ve been their user for years and I’ve never received such an email, so I don’t think it has anything to do with any hacking of the Norton database. If we look only a little into the past, one can find many examples of such scam e-mails, and here is what they say about it on the Norton forum.

---

I don’t share your opinion because I think there are a lot of dangers in the form of viruses and malware targeting specifically the Android OS, and given that many users are unable to recognize the threat before it’s too late, isn’t it better to have protection? Of course, protection comes with a price that many are not willing to pay, and also such programs can slow down a device that has a weak processor and too little RAM.

But we also should be very careful that not every product comes with a price tag is actually does the job and antivirus too fall into that category. Well most of the android antivirus are nothing but an advertising program because they don't do anything or do the same work of play protect with a premium price tag which is completely useless in my opinion.

I agree with you, price is not a key factor to be guided when buying software, but free programs are usually free because they charge for their service in some other way, often by collecting user data and selling it to interested parties. Far from paid programs not doing that, but over the years I have gained confidence in some security solutions that have not let me down so far and give me a sense of security when I'm online.

In the context of a topic where the focus is on protecting smartphones that have crypto wallets on them or users use them for crypto trading, any investment in security makes sense - but it's up to everyone to decide whether they need such protection or not.

It has nothing to do with the hacking of the Norton database, and I never mentioned anything about the database being hacked; all I did was warn Norton users to be cautious, especially those whose emails were not adequately filtered. Scammers send these emails with a phishing link.

yes second protection is needed event tho usually people like me not installed one of them  ;D but it will best if the wallet is really cold/offline never connected to internet and add hardware wallet would be great

Virus isn't responsible for Loss of private keys on mobile phones it's users stupidity, the truth is mobile phones hardly get Trojans and viruses and I've never seen a antivirus that scan out a real virus on Android phones till date, only PC users needs to worry about virus, malware and spyware so they must install tough antivirus on their PC

But you are implying that it is Norton users who are the target of these emails, although there is no directly proven link to confirm this. There are millions of e-mails hacked from various databases, and the only question is who uses them and for what purpose. I use a unique email for my Norton, and I'm sure I'll only get a phishing link to it if someone really hacks into their database - if everyone took such precautions, phishing would almost disappear.

A piece of friendly advice. Have a second thought on what you just said because the research done by Black Hat researcher of pcmag (https://www.pcmag.com/news/black-hat-researcher-shows-why-air-gaps-wont-protect-your-data) a couple of years ago shows air-gapped computers not to be secure as we believe.

You're wrong mate, the Kaspersky I used on my phone have scan out virus countless time and with the flaws found in Google and Apple App stores (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5324674.0). God knows the next could be trojan and virus. Only a naive crypto enthusiast won't use an antivirus on her phone.

The emails are sent to thousands or millions of users, specifically targeting Norton users, Having a single email account isn't a bad idea, but there are still crooks selling email accounts, and these people are working directly with someone who has access to Google's mail database; nowadays, everything is tradeable. The best safeguard is to recognize which emails are real and which are not.

NB: the screenshot above is from a Norton user

I am familiar with most of the anti virus that are on your list but I wouldn't be care free just because I have anti virus on my phone or on computer. Even on the computer I used have more than one anti virus like avast, avg, kaspersky and more. I have tried scanning a file where in avast it said virus detectes but on AVG it didn't said virus detected. Let's say AVG detect file 1 as a malicious file but avast  didn't find it as a malicious.

That was crazy  :-[ thanks for the advice


are u using premium kaspersky on your phone or just free.

yeah virus can be tricky nowadays there can infected your email ur link that we clicked and poof everything is gone

The weakest link in the whole chain is of course always a man, whether it is a malicious employee or a bad programmer who left room for a hacker to break into the system. Given the size of Google and the number of employees, it's hard to believe that everyone is honest - so I don't trust their services too much (although I use them), but for extremely sensitive things I recommend an email from Proton which is free and encrypted, based in Switzerland.

However, the worst option is to use only one e-mail account for all services, because if someone happens to hack it - it becomes a real nightmare, the hacker takes over everything related to that account.

I was surprised when I first read about this.

I used the premium Kaspersky cause you can depend on the free version to provide you the security needed and the last time I checked the yearly activation for 3 devices doesn't cost much and as a cryptocurrency, holder using a free antivirus or other important equipment is not good idea cause after privacy, security is what we must make our top priority.