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Endurance test: These are the best security apps for Android
Android is already a highly capable system that apps infested by malware have a difficult time penetrating. Unfortunately, things are not always as secure as they seem. Security experts continue to identify dangerous apps lurking in the Google Play Store, and seemingly harmless apps are able to inject malware onto Android smartphones or tablets simply by means of an update. Once on the device, the attackers attempt to harvest data, take control of the device, or snoop around for cryptocurrency wallets. The experts from AV-TEST evaluated a total of 11 Android security apps in the test lab using thousands of infected apps over a full six months. The result demonstrates that good protection on an Android device is really only a few taps away.
the 6-month test reveals the best security apps
Android developers have always had a plan when it comes to protecting devices running their operating system. For example, all apps operate in small software containers, which can be easily and completely detached from the system, if necessary. In fact, these containers are already prevented from communicating easily with one another. However, cyberattackers also do their homework and oftentimes exploit Android users, turning them into unwitting accomplices. The result: the dangerous app is given elevated privileges, in turn enabling it to launch a cyberattack.
Vapor clearly demonstrated how real the threats to Android users are: The malware campaign that infiltrated the Google Play Store with more than 300 apps this year amassed no less than 60 million downloads. The threat was activated after the user initially installed the relevant app on a device and it then downloaded the malware from its servers; users essentially opened the door to the infiltration. In the initial check in the Google Play Store, the malware was not flagged by Play Protect. Yet, an installed security app was able to do so!
11 Android security apps put to an endurance test
Users should install a reliable security app on their Android devices in order to enjoy protection from these malevolent attacks automatically. The latest endurance test of 11 Android security apps conducted over 6 months reveals the apps that offer reliable protection on Android 12. These security tools needed to detect and ward off more than 18,000 dangerous apps from various sources. The experts checked the performance of the security apps as they run in the background. They also looked at how resource intensive the programs were and whether they caused the battery to drain too quickly, for example. In addition, the test lab used more than 10,000 harmless apps to examine whether the security apps reacted too rigorously flagging safe apps, as well.
The experts tested 11 security apps for Android devices over a period of 6 months, and 4 of the apps scored 100 percent in the testing
The 11 apps needed to defend the Android system from more than 18,000 malicious apps over a period of 6 months. Only 4 of the apps delivered a perfect result
The 11 Android security apps tested came from the following vendors: Avast, AVG, Avira, Bitdefender, F-Secure, Kaspersky, McAfee, Norton, Sophos and TotalAV. The test also included Google Play Protect, which is pre-installed together with the Play Store on every device running Android.
The results demonstrated that there are some really effective security apps that can provide reliable protection from malicious attacks. 4 apps barreled through the test with excellent results, receiving the full 18 points in the end. They did not miss a single attack. What’s more, they correctly identified the harmless apps without draining the battery excessively. 5 security apps delivered very good results of 17.7 out of 18 points with only minor errors. Only two of the apps scored low receiving 17 and 17.2 points.
More than 18,000 malware apps over 6 months
The testers in the lab examined the security apps for the endurance test, subjecting apps to constantly changing sets of malware over the course of 6 months. The first phase of testing included a real-time test where the experts extracted more than 9,000 entirely new malware apps from the Internet and app stores and sent them to the test systems. The testers used a constantly changing reference set in the second phase of testing, which included highly dangerous apps that had been for around 4 weeks already.
The security apps from Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, and Norton intercepted all attackers 100 percent of the time in the detection tests.
The apps from Kaspersky, McAfee, and Sophos may have made minor errors in the real-time test; however, they achieved a perfect score with the reference set. The apps from Avira, F-Secure, and TotalAV committed errors in both sets of test – yet none were grievous. For this reason, all of the mentioned apps received the full 6 points possible.
Google Play Protect scored a rating of 99.4 and 99.6 percent here in terms of detection, for which Google only received 5.5 points due to the less than optimal result.
Minimizing the strain on Android devices
Users do not want a security app that constantly drains the battery because it eats up lots of system resources. That’s why the lab checks the performance of system resources and CPU loads when each security app inspects a new or previously installed app. All of the system watchdogs performed well in this category of testing. They barely affected system performance and did not put a strain on the device’s battery, so all security apps were awarded the full 6 points in the endurance test.
The app from F-Secure for Android devices scored the highest points possible in all test categories, racking up 18 points as a final result
Maximum protection for Android devices: the app from Bitdefender received the full 18 points
This security app received the maximum points in all test categories, thus achieving the top result of 18 points
The free security app for Android devices performed very well when completing all tasks, garnering it a full 18 points
The security app from Avast may have only scored 17.7 out of 18 points in the endurance test; yet, it detected absolutely all attacks without exception
The free security app from AVG made minor mistakes, earning it 17.7 points only; however, it did detect 100 percent of the attacks
Another false alarm?
A security app cannot flag an app as dangerous and attempt to block or delete it without being absolutely certain. If it does, users will likely delete apps that would have otherwise been harmless – simply because it was incorrectly identified. To evaluate the behavior of the different apps, the experts in the test lab copied over 10,000 harmless apps, such as games and tools, to the Android systems. Nearly 6,700 apps from the Google Play Store and approximately 4,000 apps from other app stores were installed.
The task was completed totally error-free by the security apps from Bitdefender, F-Secure, Kaspersky, and Sophos thanks to their highly effective friend-foe detection capabilities. As a result, all of these products received the full 6 points.
The apps from Avast, AVG, Google, McAfee, Norton, and TotalAV blocked a few too many harmless apps from being installed or deleted them entirely. Consequently, these apps only received 5.7 points in the endurance test, while Avira lagged behind due to more mistakes, netting it only 5.0 points.
Apps for greater security
Many users are at least aware of the fact that apps from stores can sometimes have malware, but they are less aware of the fact – which makes the situation even more dangerous – that all the apps can request an update to the latest version of the app, essentially unlocking the door to malware. If the malware infested app has elevated privileges, then the Android device will quickly succumb to the malware.
An effective security app cannot completely prevent it from happening; however, it can greatly reduce the risk. The endurance test revealed several good security apps for users to choose from. Topping the charts are Bitdefender, F-Secure, Kaspersky, and Sophos. An additional 5 products completed the test with excellent scores ranging from 17.7 to 18 points.
