9 Android Apps To Improve Security, Privacy
Secure your Android smartphones and tablets using antivirus, encrypted communications, child locks, password managers and other tools featured in our roundup.
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Attention, Android users: Have you taken steps to secure your smartphones and tablets against attackers?
Many Android devices ship with a bevy of free apps. But too many Android smartphones and tablets -- even those bought on contract -- don't include a single security or privacy tool, not even a basic antivirus program. That's despite the fact that attackers are increasingly targeting Android devices with malware designed to commit SMS fraud, build a botnet for distributing more malware and spam, or steal financial account information.
According to a recently released study from Juniper Networks, the volume of mobile malware targeting Android devices increased by 614% from March 2012 to March 2013. In fact, Android malware is beginning to approach Windows malware in sophistication, which means it can do more damage.
It's up to Android users to protect themselves. First, ensure that you're running the latest version of Android available, as Google continues to refine the security protections built into the operating system.
Google makes these updates available directly to anyone who uses a Nexus or the stock-Android version of the HTC One it began selling last week. Both sport a "naked" version of Android, devoid of the bloatware so often installed by carriers and other handset makers. Google also has promised updates for many seemingly orphaned Motorola models.
If you're using a phone on contract from a carrier, go to your carrier's website to find the latest update. Unfortunately, many carriers delay releasing security patches or updates for their Android devices. These updates might also be difficult to find or install, and occasionally they get released and then "unreleased." In the event that a timely update isn't available, consider rooting the device using a tool such as SuperOneClick and updating it yourself.
The second most important security step you can take: avoid third-party app stores. Stick with Google Play, which is well on its way to having 1 million apps, because Google uses its Bouncer code-scanning tool and verified developer accounts to help prevent malware from being admitted or distributed to its app store. Although the approach isn't 100% effective, malicious apps does tend to be spotted and shut down quickly, unlike legions of third-party stores promising "free" or cracked versions of paid apps.
Third, look to add-on tools to secure your device and protect your privacy. Here are nine recommended security and privacy tools you can use. Note: Many of the free versions of these apps are supported by advertising, so you'll likely want to pony up a few bucks for the paid version.
The best way to keep Android safe is to use an antivirus tool; in other words, anything that works to keep malware off your device.
Which Android antivirus app is best? One of the most popular options -- with more than 500,000 installations and a 4.6 (out of 5.0) rating on Google Play -- is AVG Antivirus Free, which also lets you kill tasks that might be slowing your device, track or remotely wipe lost devices, and secure Web browsing against "drive-by" malware attacks. A paid version of the app ($15) adds a number of other features, such as spam call-blocking and an app locker for securing device settings.
Also ranking high on the list of most popular antivirus apps: the free Avast Mobile Security and TrustGo Antivirus and Mobile Security. The latter also includes secure browsing and the Candid Camera Thief ID feature, which begins snapping away after three failed password entry attempts. "We'll email you the photo!" promises TrustGo.
Also worth considering: Symantec's Norton Mobile Security Lite, which includes the ability to send an SMS text to remotely lock a lost or stolen smartphone.
Have you ever discovered your Android device in an unexpected part of the house, with $20 in unauthorized Google Play downloads and your background photo changed to Moshi Monsters? If so, you might want to consider a locking app such as App Lock, which can be set to prevent outgoing or incoming calls, lock system settings and block access to Google Play. The paid version of the app adds multiple lock profiles -- think kids, co-workers, boss -- as well as the ability to hide the unlocking screen, or to lock the device at a preset time or location.
Also on the locking front, the free Smart AppLock (App Protector) lets you lock any app -- locked apps show a lock icon -- as well as block access to Google Play, the device's install and uninstall menus, and all messaging, photos, contacts, the camera and the phone itself. A similar option, Privacy Master, also offers voice alerts and the option to block USB connection attempts and the Task Manager.
No matter what kind of device or operating system you use -- Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows, Mac OS X or Unix -- you should be using a password manager. These apps help you generate and store complex passwords. They also help you remember credit card numbers and other sensitive information while on the go.
For best results, find one company that makes a password app for every type of device you own, including your Web browser, and that synchronizes data across those devices. Ideally, the password software will use a strong encryption algorithm, although that's harder to verify.
Which password manager is best? As with antivirus software or almost any other type of tool on Android, options abound, but one big seller is LastPass, which costs $12 per year.
Other apps that are getting good reviews are Keeper Password and Data Vault, mSecure Password Manager and Dashlane Password Manager, among many others.
A core component of Android security is the permissions system: When you install an app, it notifies you of what it would like to do, such as gain access to your address book and calendar, or send text messages. You can then decide to proceed or dump the app.
Unfortunately, this system puts a lot of responsibility on you to understand whether permission requests are appropriate. South Korean antivirus vendor AhnLab last year reported that of the 150 top-rated Android apps, 43% requested "excessive permissions," based on the purpose of the app. Explanations ranged from developer laziness to marketers trying to collect more information on users.
Which apps are trustworthy? To help identify what an app is doing vs. what it should be doing, the free Clueful Privacy Advisor from BitDefender will review which apps you have installed, then use a reviews database maintained by BitDefender to assign a privacy score to each app. The goal is to help you spot apps that might be silently leaking your device ID to advertising networks, uploading your contacts to the app developer's server, targeting you with adware, or engaging in other unwanted behavior.
Want to avoid nuisance calls? Lots of apps offer Caller ID, call blocking and reverse-number look-ups to help you report spammers to the Federal Trade Commission.
One option is PrivacyStar Text & Call Block, which costs $3 per month for all these features, plus ad removal.
Another app with good reviews is Call Control Pro from Kedlin ($8), which crowdsources users' spam phone number reports to help all users block nuisance calls. The free version restricts the number of phone numbers that can be blocked or updates that can be made.
Interest in encrypted communications has risen in the wake of whistle-blower Edward Snowden revealing the extent to which the NSA eavesdrops on foreign communications.
For free encrypted voice communications, RedPhone will detect whenever someone calling you is also using the app -- a requirement for use -- and give you the option to make the call secure. The software was originally designed by Whisper Systems, which was co-founded by the security researcher known as Moxie Marlinspike, before being bought in 2011 by Twitter.
Although not free, another popular app is Silent Circle, which offers a service for encrypted communications between smartphones, as well as encrypted text messaging, encrypted VoIP audio and video calls, and encrypted email. Beyond encrypting communications, the service also can disguise the identity of users. The developer says the app has been independently audited to ensure that the underlying code is free from back doors.
Current Silent Circle app users should upgrade immediately, however, as security researcher Mark Dowd of Azimuth Security recently identified vulnerabilities in the ZRTPCPP protocol. Originally built by Phil Zimmermann, the creator of PGP, the protocol is used to secure Silent Phone communications. Those bugs have now been fixed, and developers at Silent Circle -- and a number of other projects that use the protocol -- have pushed fixes.
To secure your chat sessions, look for an OTR -- an "off the record" cryptographic protocol -- chat tool. Options include Gibberbot, IM+ and Xabber. An Android version of open-source Cryptocat was in development last year, but that project has reportedly stalled, unfortunately.
What more can be said about encrypted chat? Not much, except that by using OTR chat tools you can prevent third parties from intercepting your messages. Bonus: you and your chat partners don't have to be using the same OTR tool to encrypt your conversation because the tools are cross compatible.
There are lots of theft-prevention tools for Android. One of the most highly praised is Lookout Security & Antivirus, a free app with a "find my phone" feature that will place the location of a lost phone on a Google Map. The service displays the device's last known location so even if the battery has died you might still get a trace. The software can also be set to record and email you a picture of anyone who attempts to unlock the phone, and it allows devices to be remotely wiped. As the name of the app implies, it also includes antivirus protection as well as the ability to back up and restore contacts, pictures and call history.
There are lots of theft-prevention tools for Android. One of the most highly praised is Lookout Security & Antivirus, a free app with a "find my phone" feature that will place the location of a lost phone on a Google Map. The service displays the device's last known location so even if the battery has died you might still get a trace. The software can also be set to record and email you a picture of anyone who attempts to unlock the phone, and it allows devices to be remotely wiped. As the name of the app implies, it also includes antivirus protection as well as the ability to back up and restore contacts, pictures and call history.
Attention, Android users: Have you taken steps to secure your smartphones and tablets against attackers?
Many Android devices ship with a bevy of free apps. But too many Android smartphones and tablets -- even those bought on contract -- don't include a single security or privacy tool, not even a basic antivirus program. That's despite the fact that attackers are increasingly targeting Android devices with malware designed to commit SMS fraud, build a botnet for distributing more malware and spam, or steal financial account information.
According to a recently released study from Juniper Networks, the volume of mobile malware targeting Android devices increased by 614% from March 2012 to March 2013. In fact, Android malware is beginning to approach Windows malware in sophistication, which means it can do more damage.
It's up to Android users to protect themselves. First, ensure that you're running the latest version of Android available, as Google continues to refine the security protections built into the operating system.
Google makes these updates available directly to anyone who uses a Nexus or the stock-Android version of the HTC One it began selling last week. Both sport a "naked" version of Android, devoid of the bloatware so often installed by carriers and other handset makers. Google also has promised updates for many seemingly orphaned Motorola models.
If you're using a phone on contract from a carrier, go to your carrier's website to find the latest update. Unfortunately, many carriers delay releasing security patches or updates for their Android devices. These updates might also be difficult to find or install, and occasionally they get released and then "unreleased." In the event that a timely update isn't available, consider rooting the device using a tool such as SuperOneClick and updating it yourself.
The second most important security step you can take: avoid third-party app stores. Stick with Google Play, which is well on its way to having 1 million apps, because Google uses its Bouncer code-scanning tool and verified developer accounts to help prevent malware from being admitted or distributed to its app store. Although the approach isn't 100% effective, malicious apps does tend to be spotted and shut down quickly, unlike legions of third-party stores promising "free" or cracked versions of paid apps.
Third, look to add-on tools to secure your device and protect your privacy. Here are nine recommended security and privacy tools you can use. Note: Many of the free versions of these apps are supported by advertising, so you'll likely want to pony up a few bucks for the paid version.
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