AV-Test.org - 14 Android Security Apps Put to an Endurance Test

[harlan4096]

How much does security performance vary among Android protection apps? In an endurance test from January to June 2020, the lab at AV-TEST found answers to this question, revealing some surprising results.

The confidence of private Android users in their system and the installed apps is quite high. Many cyber-gangsters try to exploit this somewhat blind trust using infected apps. Younger users are often targeted in particular. The criminals offer them special, free gaming apps, in which Trojans and other malware samples are often concealed.

The lab at AV-TEST examined 14 Android security apps for consumer users in terms of their protection over a longer period. It is worth pointing out that the lab differentiates between Android security apps for consumers versus those for corporate users. The test examining protection for consumer users, for instance, had more infected gaming apps than business apps unleashed on the devices.

Endurance test shows enduring protection

In a major test from January to June 2020, the lab evaluated 14 Android protection apps under Android 8.0 (Oreo). The test involved the apps from AhnLab, Avast, AVG, Avira, Bitdefender, F-Secure, G Data, Ikarus, Kaspersky, McAfee, NortonLifeLock, securiON and Trend Micro. For comparison, Google Play Protect was also included in the mix, as it is automatically launched with Google's Play Store on every Android device.

The result shows that there are several good security apps for Android that also guarantee enduring protection in an endurance test. Each app was evaluated in terms of its protection, performance and usability. For each category, the laboratory awards up to 6 points, i.e. a maximum of 18 points. A total of 5 apps managed to achieve this perfect score. They are from Avira, Bitdefender, G Data, NortonLifeLock and Trend Micro. Following close behind with 17.7 points was the Kaspersky app, with 17.5 points the protection tool from securiON, along with the apps from AhnLab and McAfee with 17.3 and 17.1 points respectively. The 4 additional apps from F-Secure, Ikarus, Avast und AVG achieved between 16.8 and 15.4 points. Finishing dead last on the list was Google Play Protect with a mere 6 points.

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