F-Secure Mobile Security 7.6 (for Android)

F-Secure Mobile Security 7.6 for Android ($39.99/year or $59.99/2 years, direct) is part of an elite, seven-member group of the best-performing Android antivirus, according to a recent comparative study by independent testing lab AV-Test.org. Like Trend Micro Mobile Security for Android?($29.99 direct), F-Secure also includes parental controls, namely contact blacklisting, content filters, and app blacklisting. McAfee Mobile Security and Norton Mobile Security don't offer these features: you would need to download separate apps for parental control.

F-Secure also includes now-standard mobile security features like a firewall and anti-theft protection, but lacks an app scanner that informs you of all the permissions requested by your apps. If you want an app auditor to run alongside F-Secure, consider our Editors' Choice pick Lookout for Android or BitDefender Mobile Security. It also lacks the data backup features found in Lookout, McAfee, and NetQin Mobile Security. ?

I tested F-Secure on both an app-laden Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0.2 and a factory reset Samsung Galaxy SII with Android 2.3. If you're an iOS user, check out Lookout for iPhone.

Getting Started
F-Secure Mobile isn't offered in the Android Market, so, ironically, you'll have to temporarily lower your device's security by changing the default settings to allow downloads from outside the Android Market, and then download F-Secure directly.

After installing the app I had to activate a phone lock, create a passcode, enter a trusted buddy's phone number, and accept F-Secure as a Device Administrator before continuing. Device Admin permission just gives the app system-level access to perform remote wipe and lock. Afterwards, the app prompts you to run a full scan of the device, including SD memory card. This only took a couple minutes on my Nexus with 136 installed apps.

A+ Antivirus Protection
F-Secure's biggest bragging point is its powerful, top-tier antivirus protection, as noted by AV-Test.org. Along with six other apps? Lookout, Kaspersky, avast!, Dr. Web, IKARUS, and Zoner? F-Secure successfully detected more than 90 percent of the threats thrown at it. Many Android security apps, including those from Bitdefender, AVG, and Norton, detected less than 65 percent, while a few brand names like McAfee NetQin detected less than 40 percent.

F-Secure automatically blocks malware and spyware. If it finds an app containing suspicious code, like a rooting app, it gives you the option to keep or toss it. Although mobile antivirus is always recommended, in reality, the likelihood you'll get infected is still less than five percent, especially if you stick to the Android Market.

You can schedule a recurring scan on a daily or weekly basis, or on demand if you want to save juice. I like the option of adjusting my cloud protection settings to turn off automatically when I'm not within my own cell phone network, to avoid data roaming fees.

As with Lookout and BitDefender, F-Secure's antivirus component is activated whenever your device attempts to make a connection to the server: when you're installing an app, opening it for the first time, or surfing the Internet. It even scans the connection to detect man-in-the-middle attacks. It can do this because F-Secure works closely with ISPs.

F-Secure's firewall works with the stock Android browser to block malicious websites and phishing attempts. The app blocks all other third-party browsers, which is safer than BitDefender or McAfee, which don't. Lookout Mobile is the only app we've seen that protects your surfing on any browser.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/XTuv7ZUEHTk/0,2817,2387180,00.asp

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