Visual Tour: Kaspersky Mobile Security For Android Phones
Kaspersky Mobile Security is a comprehensive package that would seem to address many -- if not all -- of consumers' smart phone security concerns. It protects Android phones with anti-virus scans, blocks of unwanted calls and text messages, and theft recovery, all for just $9.95 a year. Too bad neither we nor Kaspersky could get the anti-theft tools to work.
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt69509c9116440be8/bltc0182b2356ae8eed/64b83949410a1b4c0bd7459b/IW_generic_image.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Kaspersky Mobile Security is advertised as providing all the security you could need for your Android smart phone. It combines traditional computer security -- anti-virus scans and protection from malicious websites -- with protection from online and real-world threats. It works with phones running Android versions 2.2 (Froyo) through 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
Online protection includes an anti-virus component that scans in real time, Web browser protection, and a filter to block unwanted calls and text messages. The "real world" protection features are meant to help in case of a phone's loss or, even more likely, theft -- a fast-growing problem. Although Kaspersky Mobile Security won't prevent a theft, it aims to help recover your phone after the fact. It's got four tools to do so: Device Lock, Locate, Data Wipe, and Mugshot.
The first three tools let users remotely lock, locate or wipe lost or stolen devices. The owner activates these actions on Kaspersky's website, which in turn sends the commands to the phone. Mugshot, like many similar apps for the iPhone, uses the front-facing camera to take a photograph -- with any luck, of the crook who stole your phone. It's also possible to control some features with SMS commands.
Unfortunately, none of the anti-theft functions worked properly on my Samsung Galaxy S. When I logged on to Kaspersky's website and tried to send a command such as "locate," it queued up properly, but never made it to my phone, even after several days. I enlisted help from Kaspersky's support team, but even the experts could not get the anti-theft features to work. It's too bad. If these features worked, Kapersky Mobile Security would be a good all-around and affordable security package for Android phones.
Name: Kaspersky Mobile Security
Kaspersky Mobile Security is a comprehensive package that covers many aspects of mobile security, for just $9.95 a year. But try it before you buy it. We couldn't get the anti-theft features to work -- even with help from Kaspersky's support team.
Price: $9.95 a year.
Pros:
No noticeable difference in battery life with a virus scan running in the background.
Combines traditional PC security with mobile-specific security.
App notifies you if the SIM card is replaced, with the new phone number.
Cons:
Anti-theft features did not work on a Samsung Galaxy S phone.
Available only for Android smart phones.
The anti-virus tools in Kaspersky Mobile Security seemed to work well. After you install the app it recommends scanning the entire contents of your phone. This took 50 minutes on my Samsung Galaxy S, but the amount of time didn't matter. The app used between 2.5% and 13% of my phone's CPU, which left plenty enough crunching power to make calls, send emails, tweet -- even watch an HD movie trailer on YouTube.
After the initial scan you can choose from three modes: extended, recommended or disabled. "Recommended" mode worked well for me. The app quickly scanned all the new apps I downloaded, and the background operations did not cause a noticeable performance slowdown or even reduced battery life.
This feature lets you temporarily hide contact information, call logs, and texting conversations with any contacts you add to a list. It can also be turned on remotely via SMS command. Unfortunately, every contact you want to hide has to be added manually, but if there aren't many sensitive contacts in your list, this shouldn't be a problem.
The anti-theft features in Kaspersky Mobile Security are industry standard and comparable to those in other mobile security apps. They're controlled via a Web interface or SMS commands. One feature we especially liked is SIM Watch, a tool that protects your device from what most thieves do almost immediately: change the SIM card. The app claims that if the SIM card is changed it will lock the phone, then SMS and email the new SIM card's phone number to the user.
Here's where we had problems. Even with help from Kaspersky's support team, we couldn't get any of the anti-theft features to work properly. We were able to log in to the website, but none of the commands we sent from there ever reached our phone. Try the 30-day trial download to make sure Kaspesky Mobile Security works with your phone before purchasing.
The call and SMS filter offers an easy way to block unwanted calls and text messages. There are several modes but I found the most effective was to allow incoming calls and SMS messages from contacts in my address book. For unknown contacts, the app pops up a window that offers the choice to allow the text or call and add it to the list, or block it. It also offers the choice to block calls and SMS messages from non-numeric sources, a common tactic of spammers.
Web protection -- blocking malicious websites before you open them -- is a standard feature in desktop security software. It's now extended to Android, but you're out of luck if you don't want to use the barebones Android operating system's default browser. Kaspersky's Web protection doesn't work in other mobile browsers.
Web protection -- blocking malicious websites before you open them -- is a standard feature in desktop security software. It's now extended to Android, but you're out of luck if you don't want to use the barebones Android operating system's default browser. Kaspersky's Web protection doesn't work in other mobile browsers.
Kaspersky Mobile Security is advertised as providing all the security you could need for your Android smart phone. It combines traditional computer security -- anti-virus scans and protection from malicious websites -- with protection from online and real-world threats. It works with phones running Android versions 2.2 (Froyo) through 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
Online protection includes an anti-virus component that scans in real time, Web browser protection, and a filter to block unwanted calls and text messages. The "real world" protection features are meant to help in case of a phone's loss or, even more likely, theft -- a fast-growing problem. Although Kaspersky Mobile Security won't prevent a theft, it aims to help recover your phone after the fact. It's got four tools to do so: Device Lock, Locate, Data Wipe, and Mugshot.
The first three tools let users remotely lock, locate or wipe lost or stolen devices. The owner activates these actions on Kaspersky's website, which in turn sends the commands to the phone. Mugshot, like many similar apps for the iPhone, uses the front-facing camera to take a photograph -- with any luck, of the crook who stole your phone. It's also possible to control some features with SMS commands.
Unfortunately, none of the anti-theft functions worked properly on my Samsung Galaxy S. When I logged on to Kaspersky's website and tried to send a command such as "locate," it queued up properly, but never made it to my phone, even after several days. I enlisted help from Kaspersky's support team, but even the experts could not get the anti-theft features to work. It's too bad. If these features worked, Kapersky Mobile Security would be a good all-around and affordable security package for Android phones.
Name: Kaspersky Mobile Security
Kaspersky Mobile Security is a comprehensive package that covers many aspects of mobile security, for just $9.95 a year. But try it before you buy it. We couldn't get the anti-theft features to work -- even with help from Kaspersky's support team.
Price: $9.95 a year.
Pros:
No noticeable difference in battery life with a virus scan running in the background.
Combines traditional PC security with mobile-specific security.
App notifies you if the SIM card is replaced, with the new phone number.
Cons:
Anti-theft features did not work on a Samsung Galaxy S phone.
Available only for Android smart phones.
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