 Of all the apps that exist to analyze our phones, many have a lot of extras. They do a good job most of the time, but the way they are implemented can make the protection of your device more puzzling. That aspect can be solved with CM Security, a relatively new malware detection app for Android that comes from the same creators of the famous CleanMaster App. The app itself is as simple as you can get, while providing a great level of protection.
The main user interface of CM Security is not exactly surprising, but still enjoyable in its own way and looks quite clean. It won't add an icon in the notification bar, but will change the color of the interface depending on the status of your device. The main screen basically consists of a big button in the center and a small menu button in the top-right corner. A tap on the central button will start scanning the device for any threat, either in the form of a malicious application, the current settings of your system or any SMSes that may be listed as Phishing.
 Once the scan process is finished, (which takes less than a minute in most cases) the app will list what kind of threats and vulnerabilities require attention and will offer to solve them, either one at a time or all at once. That is the basic function CM Security provides, but it also offers some other features such as a Privacy Advisor and a Secure Browsing option that works with most of the existing browsers.
If you want to add an extra layer of security to your device, there is an option to schedule scans (located within the settings menu) which can be set to daily, weekly or monthly scans. But that is not all: we can also analyze the entire SD in search of any kind of suspicious files, not just apps. A fast scan feature for the SD Card is also available, however, if you need a comprehensive SD Card scan, make sure you disable the fast scan option at least for the first-time scan, that way you will be sure no malicious file gets into your device. In any case, you can further reduce the time a scan takes by excluding the apps you trust from future scans. CM Security has also a bundled Call Filtering option; yeah, we know that has little to do with a security application like this, but if you want to increase the security of your phone, restricting incoming calls from those annoying marketers and problematic people is a good idea and it is useful preventing scams, too.
There is a free add-on you can download to clean up all kind of junk files from your device and claim some of your storage space. Considering the add-on comes from CleanMaster, you know the grade of cleaning it can perform.
CM Security came as a surprise, and a very good one. The anti-malware engine works really well and its database is updated periodically, so there is little chance some malware will get into your device. The app has all the essential features every anti-malware app should have, and it packs them in a small a package. The app is a 2.8 MB download and takes about 4.40 MB once installed. The RAM usage while working in the background is between 6 to 9 MB, and up to 14 MB while performing a full system scan, which is great news for users with low RAM. CM Security is a great security app the way it is now, and we like that. No catches, no ads and 100% free. Let’s hope its developers keep it that way.
 Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is one of the most used programs in Windows, and its developers decided to release a version of their program for Android in order to help users to protect their mobile devices the same way they protect their desktop systems and that is how Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for mobile was born. It is a clever way to expand the product to new platforms, too.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a 100% free application that will allow you to keep your devices clean and safe, preventing any malware from being installed. The app can scan, detect and remove all malware in the system, protect the access to your personal data, find vulnerabilities in the system settings and offer solutions to fix them, identify and inform about the permissions all the installed apps need and close possible security holes. If the app is consuming too many resources, you can enable or disable certain features of the system for a lighter operation.
 After you have installed the app, using it is very simple. The main screen has 3 buttons: Scan Now, App Manager and Privacy Manager. If you select "Scan Now ", the app will automatically scan every single app we have installed in our system. After a while, it will display a notice indicating whether your device is clean or infected by malware. Using the "Application Manager" section, we can see all the installed applications. From there, you can check what apps are running and then you can close them manually if needed, if not, you can just view the application information.
The "Privacy Manager" is the most interesting section; from this we can see the permissions each app needs based on different categories. We can easily spot those apps that are allowed to access our data, read our contacts, take pictures, share our location or send anonymous statistics. At the top of that menu, there is button labeled "security audit" that will analyze your system for bugs and security holes. If we tap on it, it will show a summary of the existing bugs and security holes. Another tap on each issue will bring the solutions list, so we can find the best way to fix it. Scheduled tasks are available too, with daily or weekly frecuencies, You can even choose the specific day and hour when this task will be executed.
There is no doubt Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a very easy to use app, and will make your device safer. It will work silently in the background with a RAM usage between 12~17 MB and ~23 MB during a complete scan.
Truth is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware could easily be our top-pick for this category, but there are two aspects that work against it. First, its continuous search for updates drains the battery faster than other apps as there are only 3 options to set the updates: each hour, every 3 hours or 6 hours. The only way of avoiding them is by turning off the real-time protection, which renders the logic of having an anti-malware app completely useless. Sure, you could turn off your internet connection as a workaround, but if you depend on your e-mail or instant messaging apps, that is not an option. Secondly, as good as having hourly malware definitions updates is, searching for them in such short time span seems a bit overkill, unless you install a lot apps and stuff from dubious sites every single hour. However, if you have a device with a really good battery and you enjoy living on constant peril by exposing your device to malicious apps and other threats round the clock, then Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will save the day.
 Our former favorite security app, avast! Mobile Security & Antivirus has seen much comings and goings during these last months. First, it luckily recovered some ground in terms of malware detection capabilities, but then it turned itself into a fremium app which needs in-app purchases if you want to use the full array of features it includes.
Avast! adds an icon in the notification tray, you can disable it, but doing that will affect the real-time protection. You can schedule automatic scans for the apps, the SD Card or both. The Privacy Advisor checks the permissions every app needs and lists the potential privacy issues they may have, whilst the Applications Management acts as a RAM monitoring and task killing tool. The Network Meter can monitor all your data traffic (WiFi, 3G and Roaming) and you can check each app's traffic under every network by selecting the corresponding tab.
Avast! includes a full set of protection shields grouped under the "Shield Control" menu and it should protected you from all fronts. The Web Shield will block any infected URL it may find; the Message Shield will filter all unwanted SMSes and the Application Shield will keep PUAs at bay. The SMS & Call Filtering can be set up to block outgoing and incoming calls and you can add them to a group or groups and add specific days and hours to block them. Additionally, the included USSD protection will keep your dialer safe from exploits.
The included Firewall allows you to disable Internet access to any kind of network (WiFi, 3G and Roaming). That way you can avoid expensive roaming connection fares, block specific apps from going online and keep hackers away. Not so good, however, is that you need a rooted device to make it work.
As for the Anti-theft module, Avast's latest versions have turned it into an optional component. There are two versions: One for rooted devices and the other for non-rooted ones. Non-rooted devices can benefit from some Anti-theft components such as the Stealth Mode (it disguises and hides the Anti-theft component from unauthorized access) and a very complete list of SMS commands to trigger special actions such as alarms, device locking, remote wiping and geo-location. Rooted devices will have additional options such as Self-Protection (app uninstalling prevention and USB disabling) and Remote Settings Change. Avast! also has a fully operational online service (you need a free Avast! account) from which you can check and change your device status (Secured or Lost), locate it, send web commands and manage the Anti-Theft settings. Sadly, features such as the app-locking, the anti-theft extras and the adware detecting capabilites are now limited to the full (paid) version.
(!) The two versions of the Anti-theft component are available for free at the PlayStore, but they still need an avast account to work. The application locking feature is limited to 2 apps.
Avast! has improved the malware detection rates and most of the problems from previous versions have faded away. The app has also reduced its installation size, that now takes ~12 MB, whereas the previous versions took ~25 MB. The RAM usage remains almost the same, though, with ~30 MB at peak demand and 13~19 MB while idle, but you can still disable some features to save some RAM. We know the need of a rooted device for the Firewall and the most advanced Anti-theft options might pose a problem for new and inexperienced users, but that is a small price to pay for the kind of protection Avast! Mobile Security provides.
 Developed by a well-known company, Comodo Mobile Security has its own share of characteristics starting with an awesome anti-malware plus some handy utilities that should help protecting your privacy, your data and your device itself. Furthermore, it is one of the very few 100% free security apps that remain out there.
After the install, Comodo will check for updates automatically, though it will need your confirmation to proceed. As with other apps, Comodo adds an icon in the notifications tray but disabling it won't cause any consequences. After everything is set, you can tap on the Health Check button in the main screen to check you device. Once the scan is finished the app will list the results under three categories: Dangerous, Pending and Secure, and it will add a brief description of the respective issues (if found). You can also schedule scan tasks, but you cannot choose specific locations.
Comodo has also included some useful tools besides the obvious anti-malware. The Process Manager is a redesigned task killer that shows the current RAM usage and lists all the running processes. The Traffic Monitoring and the Call & SMS Blocking tools will do what their name suggests. With the Private Space you can classify contacts or single phone numbers as “private”, so you have to write a password first to make / receive a call and send / receive SMSes. The Software Manager is split into My Software (it lists all the installed apps, the available space and lets you uninstall the programs) and the App Protector, which locks the access to any app(s) you choose with a password. You can use the Backup Tool to keep a copy of your contacts, SMSes, apps and private space in your SD Card. Lastly, Comodo has a Firewall tool aimed at blocking any app you want, although it lacks specific network blocking options (Wi-Fi, 3G) and it needs a rooted device to work. As for the USSD protection, the included tool worked seamesly with the dialer.
The improved Anti-theft feature mixes both online (Google Maps) and offline (SMSes) options and the 3-step Anti-theft Setup Wizard will guide you throughout the process. Once configured, you can use SMSes to send the location of your phone to another one (Remote locate), notify a friend’s number in case your SIM gets changed (SIM Change Alerts), trigger an alarm (works even when in silent mode) and block your phone remotely (Remote Device Lock). You can also erase any important data remotely (Remote Device Wipe). Comodo has also included a SMS command that will activate your phone's camera and will take a picture of its current 'possessor' and send it to your mail using the SMTP protocol. On the downside, Comodo does not act as "device administrator", which limits its capacity to enforce its device protection features.
Comodo has finally improved the anti-malware engine, which proved good, and the RAM usage peaked at 20 MB while performing a full system scan, but it kept a healthy 5~10 MB while idle. Even though all these changes and additions are not bad at all, we would like Comodo to work as a Device Administrator in order to strenghten its anti-theft module. That, and addition of a 3G / Wi-Fi specific blocking option for the firewall along with a secure web browsing option, would definitely make it a top pick.
 Lookout Security & Antivirus is a true veteran because it is one of the first security and anti-malware app developed for the Android platform and therefore has a lot of experience concerning mobile security.
After its installation, the app will scan all the programs installed on your device automatically in order to protect your device and beloved data from malicious apps, spyware or other potential malware. It also does an automatic scan whenever you try to install a new app or update an already existing one. In addition, you can schedule a scan of the apps on your device at a frequency, day and/or time slot to your liking but you can't choose specific locations or directories, so you have to stick to the app's default options.
As a bonus feature, Lookout includes a phone-locator feature (labeled as Missing Device) that allows you to locate your missing and beloved phone using Google maps even with the GPS turned off. You can create a free account at myLookout.com and use your login to locate your phone using a browser, though it does not offer any offline recovery option (such as SMSes) or a SIM change alert, for that matter.
Back to the account options, you can use it to back up your current contacts in myLookout.com and restore them to your phone or any other Android device you possess in case you have more than one. Moreover, Lookout will check if your contacts backup is properly updated whenever you add, delete or update a contact, which proved to be a really easy and handy feature to keep your contacts info well protected, updated and with easy access.
Lookout Mobile Security works flawlessly when it comes to malware detection and cleaning since no malware that dared to get into the phone succeeded and the included USSD protection worked fine. Although the current version boasts a new eye-candy UI coupled with some battery and stability enhancements, the Anti-theft component is the one that has seen some major improvements thanks to the Signal Flare (sends your device's location before its battery runs out) and the Lock Cam feature (it takes a picture with your frontal camera and sends it to your email after 5 failed attempts to unlock your device). As for the RAM usage, it peaked at 32 MB at some point, whereas 12~22 MB are the average while idle. Sadly, key features like Safe Browsing, the Privacy Advisor and the Remote Lock & Wipe are still only available to the Premium (paid) version, although you can have them as 14-day trial versions in case you want to give them a try.
Lookout Mobile Security is definitely a great anti-malware app with decent Anti-theft capabilities. However, we still believe that the app's current strategy seems rather odd, as some free security apps are providing malware detection rates equal to or higher than Lookout's along with safe browsing, privacy tools and remote lock & wipe options for free. Anyway, Lookout does not seem to care about that and keeps on trying to overcome them by selling you those services at premium prices. That is a reminder that, though effective, Lookout is still only a feature-limited security app which, unsurprisingly, is starting to lag behind some real good contenders who offer their security apps at no cost.
 Sophos Free Antivirus & Security is the result of the experienced minds from the labs of the same name, and we must say they have bested any previous version with this new one. It has a minimalist UI and is not as open as the other apps, but gets the job done.
Once installed, Sophos will show you its improved minimalist-style home screen composed by 6 categories: Scanner, Loss & Theft, Spam Protection, Privacy Advisor, Security Advisor and the App Protection.
You can use the scanner settings to schedule periodic scans, look for unwanted apps (or PUAs, as Sophos calls them), include or exclude system apps from the scanning process, enable or disable the “On install Scan” (scans the app during its installation). It can even scan APKs obtained from any source such as e-mail attachments or web pages. You can also enable or disable the “Monitor SD Card” option by which Sophos will monitor any writes to the SD Card and USB device (USB OTG) automatically as soon as you plug it. Finally, you can activate the “Cloud Scan Mode” and set it to “Always”, “Not While Roaming” and “WiFi only” to use the Sophos cloud infrastructure to get the latest data on Android malware. The "Malicious Website Protection" option will warn you of any blacklisted site it finds.
The Loss & Theft feature is a pretty good SMS-based tool; to enable it you must configure all the required items (7 in total) first. Setting them up is a simple task and the app itself will help you throughout the process. Once set, you can select the Loss & Theft features you want to enable such as Alarm, Locate / Locate at Low Battery, (the device sends its location back to you), Lock (blocks your device), SIM change (sends SMSes to selected numbers from the new SIM), Unlock, Secure Wipe and Unprotect (it deactivates the Anti-theft).
(!) In order to improve security and strengthen the app against potential attacks from malicious users, Sophos has released a small (85 KB) free add-on called "Security & Antivirus Guard" which acts as an additional Device Administrator and ensures the app never gets terminated and restarts itself immediately if needed.
The Security Advisor will scan for any unsecure settings your device may have and will advice you accordingly. The Privacy Advisor, on the other hand, scans and lists all the installed apps and categorizes them under 3 categories: apps that may cause costs, apps that may harm your privacy and apps that may access the internet. You can sort the categories to your own needs using the icons at the bottom. The Spam Protection is a very simple yet effective Call & SMS filter (it works great) and the recently added App Protection will lock any app you want with an alphanumeric password.
Sophos' scan engine works fine even with the Cloud Scan option disabled and there is a neat USSD protection along with an effective secure web browsing feature. The main downside of Sophos, however, lies within the RAM usage, which has increased when compared to previous versions: it peaked at 22 MB and ~16 MB while idle; it also needs around 22 MB of internal space to be installed. Although we wish Sophos Security & Antivirus was not as big and demanding as it is now, it is still an awesome 100% free security app with great anti-malware capabilities and a very good set of tools such as the Anti-theft and the App Protection.
 Another dethroned top-pick, 360 Security by Qihoo 360 Software, is still a capable app that goes beyond the common anti-malware strategy by adding hotfixes to certain security issues. Sadly, some of the latest changes in the app have increased the number of required permissions to an intrusive level, which definitely affects the app's reputation.
360's interface is user friendly, with gorgeous looks, while keeping it as simple as it can be. We never knew what to expect for when we installed 360 Mobile Security for the first time, although we must say it surprised us in a good manner when, in addition to malware, it also detected and offered us to patch a series of specific Android vulnerabilities that neither Avast, TrustGo nor Lookout (among other major anti-malware players) ever considered.
That is one of the most innovative features any security app has included so far, as there’s no need to wait for firmware updates from the manufacturer to patch our device’s vulnerabilities or seek protection by installing third-party ROMs. There is a trick regarding 360's ability to patch the vulnerabilities, though: in order to keep your phone safe, you must keep the 360 Mobile Security installed; should you ever want to uninstall it, you will lose all the "patches" it had ever installed on your device.
In the event that you need to change the behavior of 360 Mobile Security, just swipe the main UI to the left and tap on the small gear-like icon. There, you can enable and disable the Auto Updates, the Auto Start, the language and the notification tray, which includes shortcuts for the System Cleanup, the alarm, the recent apps and a flashlight toggle.
(!) If you do not feel confident about providing anonymous statistics regarding 360's usage, make sure you disable the Customer Experience Improvement Program option.
360 Mobile Security also packs some goodies such as a Privacy Advisor, a System Cleanup Tool and a very useful “Floating Window” as 360 describes it. The first one will list all the installed apps under 7 permission-based categories whilst the second one will kill any app you choose and it will also clean private data from the system’s history. The floating window is a small but omnipresent floating shortcut that can be placed on the sides of the screen. When tapped on, it shows all apps currently running, but you can add toggles for Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, Bluetooth, GPS and Screen Brightness among others. If you feel like the floating window is causing you some problems, you can disable it or ask 360 to show it only in the launcher screen. The latest version also includes a Vault, a Call & SMS filtering feature and a Junk Cleaner.
Even though it lacks things such as an Anti-theft or a Firewall, 360's design and features compensate that loss. It consumed about 6~8 MB of RAM while idle, and it peaked at 19 MB while performing a scan in a heavily loaded device. As a security app, it packs advanced features such as the advanced system vulnerabilities fixing and a very good malware detection engine. It is a pity the guys at Qihoo have meesed up the app with intrussive permissions in recent versions and the recent introduction of 360 Mobile Safe (which works on a very similar way to 360) only brings more confussion, and that's definitely something a lot of users won't like.
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P2P group has released the updated version of “DAEMON Tools Ultra 2”. It supports a wide variety of formats and is a really useful app for accessing your CD collection without having to carry them around, protecting them from scratches in the process.
kEISO has released InfiniteSkills’s “Microsoft Excel For Business Training Video”. In this project-based Microsoft Excel For Business video tutorial series, you’ll quickly have relevant skills for real-world applications.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free offers optimal protection against malware for your Android device. The scanning engine is good but cloud based, which means you will need an internet connection to make it work effectively. It will scan new apps as soon as they are installed and will consume less resources than other apps. Once installed, it will work on its own without any additional configuration, making it and an ideal antimalware app for the less experienced users. Sadly, the lack of any advanced options might pose a problem for intermediate and advanced users who like to tweak settings and be in control all the time.
Anti-Virus Free has a decent malware detection engine that will detect and block most of the malware that tries to get into your phone or tablet (there are dedicated versions for both kind of devices). The not-so-good part is that it could flag some legit apps and functions (such as root) as Potentially Unwanted Apps, which is not good at all and can lead you to uninstall perfectly good apps. Its secure web surfing protection does a good job and provides a hassle-free browsing experience. Sadly, the best tools are just 14-day trial versions. It also lacks protection against USSD attacks and the Anti-Theft capabilities are limited to online options.
Dr. Web Light v.7 is not a complete security suite (it lacks Anti-theft and Privacy features) but it does not promote itself as such. It is not a mediocre anti-malware app either, in fact, its detection rates are very good and the RAM usage levels are below the average. The scan speeds are fast even with the "Files on Archives" option enabled. To avoid further confussion, you must know there are 2 different versions available: v.7 (free, but will show ads in the notification bar) and v.9 (just a limited 14-day trial). If all you need is a basic and effective protection against malware and you can live without the Anti-theft and other extras, then Dr. Web Antivirus Light v.7 is a good choice.
TrendMicro Mobile Security & Antivirus has a sleek UI and a good anti-malware engine. It also includes a free privacy scanner for Facebook (it looks for unsecure settings on your account), 50 MB of cloud storage for data backup and that is where the free goodies end. Truth is TrendMicro is not an actual free security app because most of the key security functions (Secure Web Surfing, Device location, Anti-theft, Privacy Scanner, Call & SMS filtering) are available only in the paid version or available as a 30-day trial. In simple words, TrendMicro is worth installing only if basic protection against malware is what you are looking for.
TrustGo Antivirus & Mobile Security provides a good performance when it comes to malware detection. It also has a good Secure Web Surfing filter against malicious sites. Although it was our top-pick for this category some time ago, its latest changes introduced some permissions that required the camera to -supposedly- spot thieves and then mail it to you, but there was not such an option visible within the app and the picture never arrived to our mail. Besides, the 'Hot Apps' section recommended a lot of paid and ad-supported apps that other apps considered malware. Although good, TrustGo's methods to keep the app free are not the best ones.
NQ Mobile Security & Antivirus has a fancy interface and it appears to be free. Unfortunately, at some point it will try to charge you for updating the virus definitions and will flag your phone as "at risk" unless you have the premium (paid) features enabled. It has good detection rates and a cloud-based anti-malware engine as a support component for the real-time protection. It is a pity it losses its appeal and capacity to convince the user to keep it installed due to its deceitful strategy to generate income.
VirusFighter Antivirus Free: This app is promoted as "free" but is just a glorified demo. The interface and menus use a simple though effective interface, which is not bad; however, most of the functions are limited or reserved for the Pro (paid) version. The app itself is small, but the RAM usage levels vary a lot without an apparent reason. It also failed to detect a lot of well-known malicious files, but due to its pretty and usable interface hundreds of users seem to like it.
Based on the name this app has, you would think it is the perfect companion for your device. Truth is that it is not. While the interface is clean and makes the app look good, the detection rates are not; only the most common threats are detected. Some of the permissions the app needs (full network access, read phone status and identity, find accounts on the device) have no reason to be there either.
Antivirus Free: It used to be an independent app but it has become a NQ Labs extension (you can read "NQ Antivirus Free" in the main screen). The virus definitions updates are free only during the first month; if you have an active internet connection it will show annoying full-screen ads every now and then and after performing a scan task. Do not let its 4.4 rating (!?) fool you, as it has poor detection rates and needs quite a lot of permissions for a merely basic anti-malware app. Definitely an app you should avoid.
