![]() ![]() There's also an App Manager, which simply shows which apps are installed and which are currently running. The goal is to let users decide if an app is worth the potential risk. These include Can Cost You Money and Monitors Calls. Malwarebytes also includes a Privacy Manager tool that scans app permissions and then sorts them by what potential threats they might pose. Though mostly invisible to the user, this is a great feature, as SMS spam is sometimes used to spread scams and malware. Malwarebytes does, however, check links sent via SMS against a daily updated database of malicious URLs. Not surprisingly, it did not react when I loaded up the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization's tests for a phishing page. Malwarebytes also does not offer Web protection, a feature common among Android apps. ![]() This service is integrated at the OS level by Google, and lets you remotely lock, locate, and wipe your Android device. Malwarebytes does not, instead giving you link to the mobile site for the excellent Android Device Manager. With that in mind, many security developers include anti-theft tools in their apps. By default, the app performs a scan every day at noon and whenever the OS is updated.Īnti-Theft and More Though malware makes the headlines, security experts agree that loss and theft are the biggest threats to Android devices. ![]() You can run scans manually or schedule them for a convenient time. I downloaded three non-malicious apps that are designed to trip up malware detection software, and Malwarebytes detected all three. I am pleased that Malwarebytes is capable of scanning apps before they launch. If you accidentally whitelist an app, removing it from the list and putting it back in the line of fire is a snap. If you're an app developer or deal with apps from outside Google Play (which, for safety's sake, you really shouldn't do, normally), this is a handy tool. The last option removes the suspect app from future scans. Should Malwarebytes detect a malicious app, it gives you the option to ignore it, delete it, or whitelist it. That said, Malwarebytes performs a lengthy initial scan-nearly six minutes-the first time you use the app. ![]() I had no trouble playing Minecraft - Pocket Edition with 12 apps running in the background and Malwarebytes performing a scan. Speed wise, that's nearly as fast as Editors' Choice Bitdefender Mobile Security and Antivirus. The lack of performance impact was mirrored in my hands-on testing, in which I found that a Malwarebytes antivirus scan took an average of 12.98 seconds to complete, and grabbed just 0.7 percent of your total CPU power. Malwarebytes is the first app I've tested in this manner, so we'll have to wait and see how it compares. These tests show a slight, but likely insignificant impact on device performance. I ran each app on my Samsung Galaxy S5 ($58.99 at Amazon) with Malwarebytes installed, without Malwarebytes installed, and on a freshly wiped phone. Neither had any false-positive detections.ĭuring my testing, I decided to revamp how I evaluate user impact by incorporating scores from the Antutu and Geekbench benchmarking apps. Also disconcerting is the fact that Malwarebytes was one of only only three apps to return a false-positive detection.įor comparison, Editors' Choice winners Bitdefender and Avast detected 100 percent of AV-Test's 2,950 malware samples. The average score for this round of testing was over 99 percent, meaning that AV-Test gave Malwarebytes a measly 2.5 out of 6 points for malware detection-the lowest score of the 31 security apps tested. That might sound like a very good score, but when the final results were published, it didn't look good for Malwarebytes. I received initial results from independent lab AV-Test, indicating Malwarebytes detected more than 90 percent of the malicious sample files used in the evaluation. Instead, I leave it to the professionals. The problem is, it's not so hot at the one task it tries to perform.Īntivirus Scan I don't perform live malware testing when reviewing Android security apps, for safety's sake. Malwarebytes eschews most of the bells and whistles included by other security developers, focusing on malware detection. The developer has since expanded into the mobile world with an Android app version of Malwarebytes, available for the low, low price of nothing. Security experts know they can rely on Malwarebytes to clean up the mess when a computer is infested with viruses and other malware. ![]()
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