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Test: More Protection for Mobile Devices with Android
A smartphone or other mobile devices running on Android are ubiquitous features for many users, storing extremely precious and personal data. That is why it is essential to protect Android devices effectively against cyberattacks and data thieves. The latest lab test of 15 security apps for Android shows how easy it is to do so. Whereas a large number of the system protectors stood out with top scores, individual apps faltered on some test criteria.
15 security apps put to the test in the lab
Cyber attackers love mobile Android devices, as they have several advantages: they are high-performance, generally online 24/7, and they can send data or messages, via text messaging or e-mail, for example, on all channels. That is why for many years now, attackers have had these interesting devices in their crosshairs, all too gladly seeking to add them to the botnet of enslaved mobile devices.
To do so, the attackers develop the matching malware, normally concealed in interesting apps. The fact that it must be a lucrative business is manifest in the high numbers of existing malware for Android: The statistics portal AV-ATLAS from AV-TEST currently tallies the infected apps for Android at just under 35 million. Anyone using a strong protection app on their Android device, however, will have nothing to fear. In its latest January-February 2024 test, AV-TEST found out which security apps are the best. Among the 15 apps examined, an impressive 11 security apps crossed the finish line with top scores.
The following manufacturers were in the security app line-up in this test: Avast, AVG, Avira, Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure, G DATA, Google, Kaspersky, McAfee, Norton, Protected.net, Protectstar, securiON and Sophos. In Google, the Play Protect security service is pre-installed in every Android device.
Test: the best security apps for Android
Every security app was required to pass different test phases in the lab at AV-TEST: The experts examined each app in the categories of protection, performance and usability. The object was to discover how well they identified infected apps in two tests, how heavily the protection function put a load on the device, and how well they were able to distinguish between harmless and dangerous apps.
The test for protection is always divided up into the real-time test and the test with the reference set. In the first segment, the lab uses just under 3,000 new, freshly collected infected apps. The second segment using the reference set involves the deployment of roughly 3,200 infected apps, which however have normally been in circulation for 4 weeks.
Over two-thirds of the security apps achieved the goal of the maximum 18 points at the end of the test
Six of the protection apps tested identified 100 percent of the attackers in all test segments involving protection
Here's how well the security apps provide protection
Achieving impressive 100% detection in both tests segments were the solutions from Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton and securiON. The apps from McAfee, Avira, F-Secure and G DATA, reaching a detection rate of 99.9 to 99.7 percent, had minor problems in the real-time test – in the reference test, they achieved 100 percent. For ESET, it was the other way around: 100 percent in the real-time test and 99,9 percent in the test with the reference set. Also achieving an almost perfect score was the app from Sophos with 99.9 percent in the two test phases. All of the apps mentioned received the full 6 points in the test category of protection.
Protected.net, Protectstar and Google committed a few detection errors. The levels in the real-time test were between 99.4 percent, down to only 98.9 percent with Google. Regarding the reference set, the apps performed better, detecting 99.9 and 99.8 percent respectively. For this, the 3 apps received a minor point deduction and thus only 5.5 points for their protection score.
Does higher protection eat up the battery?
A security app is always on duty, regardless of what else is being run on a mobile Android device. For this monitoring function, the app consumes a certain amount of system resources, for data transfer or processing power for testing in the background, for example – ultimately all operations use some power. If the load from the security app were too high, the battery life would plummet. As that is not a viable option, the lab measures the system load under the criterion of performance for all operations.
The result is outstanding for all apps: they use hardly any system resources while providing the security service. All of the protection apps evaluated received the full 6 points in this test category.
The free system sentinel from AVG scanned quickly, without creating a major system load, and found all attackers in the test: 18 points
Protection of Android is safeguarded with the Bitdefender app. In the test, the app showed consistently flawless performance and received 18 points
For strong, error-free detection of all the attackers concealed in apps, and in additional error-free test phases, securiON earned the full 18 points
The security app for Android demonstrated error-free performance in all test categories, thus earning the full 18 points
For its strong protection and additional good test scores, the Avast app achieved the full 18 points
The system watchdog from Norton caught all the malware apps in the test and allowed the harmless apps to do their job: 18 points
If the cuffs are put on a harmless app
There are countless Android apps available in the app stores. Some of them are perhaps not very good, or they are annoying, but normally they are not dangerous. Sometimes, however, security apps may classify a harmless app as dangerous. If they do, it's a classic false alarm. How well apps navigate this issue is subject to the lab's test phase for usability. For this purpose, the experts load over 2,000 harmless apps from the Google Play Store and 1,000 additional apps from other app stores on the Web. The result for most of the security apps is excellent: The following 12 apps earned the full 6 points: Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure, G DATA, Google, Kaspersky, McAfee, Norton, securiON and Sophos.
The apps from Avira and Protected.net made a few minor errors and thus had one point each taken off. As a result, the lab awarded them 5 points. The protection app from Protectstar wrongly flagged too many harmless apps as dangerous attackers. For this, the lab awarded only 3 out of 6 points.
Many good and safe Android apps
At the end of the test involving the 15 security apps for Android, 11 out of the 15 apps examined stood out, achieving the maximum possible point score. They came from Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure, G DATA, Kaspersky, McAfee, Norton, securiON and Sophos.
The app from Google achieved good scores of 17.5 points, Avira 17.0 and Protected.net came in at 16.5 points. Only the app from Protectstar had some points taken off and only achieved 14.5 points.
In the mix of the best security apps for Android, there are even some that can be used free of charge. While other protection apps charge an annual licensing fee, most also come with special extra features. Many of the apps have good extra features, which are not relevant to the test, however. That is why no points were awarded for them in the test runs. But many are handy to have in everyday use. Some include network or backup tools or even offer a VPN function for safe use of mobile networks.
