Thanks to the fact that the Android operating system allows for broader multitasking than that other popular smartphone OS, Android devices are able to support a wide range of mobile security functionality that runs in the background on an ongoing basis, such as automated backups and virus scanning.
Still, it’s worth keeping in mind that the most essential security precautions for your Android device, like password-protecting the device itself and setting it to auto-lock after a specified period of time, don’t require an app – both of those features can be accessed within Settings -> Location & Security.
And with the arrival of Android 2.2, Android devices now offer several unlock options, including a numeric PIN, a password or a graphical pattern (the last of which was recently found to be easily compromised, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania).
If you want to take your device’s password protection one step further, apps like App Protector Pro ($1.99), Carrot App Lock Pro ($1.50), Seal (€2.19) and Android Protector (free) also allow you to password-protect applications on an individual basis.
And with an ever-growing number of apps available in the Android Market, what follows below certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s intended to give you a good sense of some of the options available when seeking further protection for your Android smartphone – and for the data that resides on it.
Malware and theft protection
In most cases, it’s not necessary to look for separate solutions for anti-virus scanning and theft protection, as several developers offer a wide range of security features within a single Android app. Each product offers a slightly different range of functionality – and it’s worth keeping in mind that since all of these apps are relatively new, their feature sets are likely to evolve, as well.
The Lookout security suite (free) offers anti-virus protection, data backup functionality (for contacts, photos, video, e-mail and text messages), and a missing device locator, which can be used to show the device’s location on an online map, sound an alarm from the device itself, and/or remotely wipe all data on the device. All app functionality can be managed remotely from the company’s Web-based interface.
At this point, Lookout (right) appears to be the most complete option available – though it’s safe to assume that its competitors’ functionality will likely grow to match or exceed Lookout’s over time.
SMobile Systems’ Security Shield app ($29.99) offers anti-virus scanning, a missing device locator, remote device lock, and remote device wipe. For SMB and enterprise users, SMobile Systems also provides a wide range of device management solutions for Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian Series 60 and BlackBerry smartphones.
WaveSecure ($19.90/year), which was recently acquired by McAfee, doesn’t offer anti-virus protection at this point, though it does provide backup and restore functionality, as well as the ability to locate, lock or wipe a device remotely. When locked remotely, the device can also be triggered to display a customizable message, such as a phone number to call if the device is found.
And DroidSecurity’s aptly named antivirus (free) and antivirus Pro ($9.99) provide background anti-virus scanning functionality – while an optional Findr Chrome extension (free) adds the ability to determine your device’s location using GPS, and to lock or wipe all data on the device remotely.
Watch this space – it’s growing rapidly, with several new solutions currently in beta, including Mobile Defense (closed beta), AppScan (free) and Norton Smartphone Security for Android (free).
Password Management
To manage all of your passwords centrally, LastPass ($12.00/year) combines an Android app with a PC-based browser extension for Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Internet Explorer. A master password provides access to a cloud-based password vault, and the app and extension can fill in site passwords for you automatically, both on your PC and on your Android smartphone.
The standalone SplashID ($9.95) password manager application can be used to store passwords, credit cards, PINs and more on an Android device, guarded with 256-bit Blowfish encryption. Optional desktop software ($19.95) can be used to sync mobile data with a PC. As with LastPass, the Android app can be used to fill in passwords for you on a proprietary mobile browser.
Similarly, Callpod’s Keeper app ($29.99/year) offers military-grade encryption along with cloud data backup, as well as Wi-Fi data sync to the company’s desktop software – ultimately, LastPass, SplashID and Keeper are similar enough that it’s worth downloading a free trial of each one to decide which interface you like best before making a purchase.
Alternatively, a far cheaper and fully functional option is KeePassDroid (free), an Android port of the open source KeePass password manager, which uses the free DropBox app to synchronize stored data.
And as with the security suites mentioned above, several new offerings are also currently in beta, including an Android app for Agile Web Solution’s popular 1Password password manager for Mac.
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