Android malware has become more of a common thing these days, and many users turn to security solutions, like antivirus apps, to protect their devices.
Research conducted by AV-Comparatives shows that most of these apps are pretty much useless, as they don’t bring any security benefits to users and what’s worse, some have even been removed from the Play store after being flagged as malware.
Unsurprisingly, the security study shows that the products from industry-leading vendors like BitDefender, Kaspersky, and McAfee provide the best performance even on Android.
“23 of the products we tested detected 100% of the malware samples; considering that the most common malicious Android apps of 2018 were used, this is what they should do. Most of the vendors that usually take part in independent tests score highly, as their products are regularly scrutinised, and they actively develop them to ensure they are effective,” the research notes.
“Infected antivirus apps”
But at the same time, AV-Comparatives warns that out of the 250 security applications that were included in the test, no less than 138 of them were considered to be ineffective. This is because, as the company puts it, they offer a detection rate that falls below 30%, so they fail to efficiently secure an Android device.
Antimalware solutions from a total of 32 vendors were removed from the Google Play Store because they were flagged as malware by top-rated security products.
“Most of the above apps, as well as the risky apps already mentioned, appear to have been developed either by amateur programmers or by software manufacturers that are not focused on the security business,” the security experts explain in the results.
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