AV-TEST 15 Security Apps for Android in an Endurance Test

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Worldwide, there are over 3 billion Android devices in operation, and over 300 million new ones are added each quarter – and all are potential targets for attackers. Those who don't want to fall victim to an attack ought to protect their Android devices with a security app. The lab at AV-TEST put 15 apps to an endurance test for a full 6 months.

The best protection against nearly 20,000 infected apps
The supreme discipline for security apps, of course, is fending off malware or spyware apps for Android. In the endurance test from January to June 2021, there were three rounds of testing in the so-called real-time test, each involving more than 3,000 newly-discovered malware apps. In addition, per test round the lab used a reference set, containing over 3,000 additional malware apps that have only been in circulation for roughly 4 weeks.

The results showed that superb protection for Android does exist. A total of 5 apps always detected all the attackers 100 percent in the real-time test and in the test with the reference set. The apps came from Bitdefender, G DATA, McAfee, NortonLifeLock and Trend Micro. Avast, AVG and Kaspersky each committed one minor error in the real-time test: 99.9 percent, but on the reference set it was 100 percent.

The protection apps from Avira, F-Secure and AhnLab committed small errors in either or both of the tests. Which is why they each ranged between 99.8 and 100 percent. The protection tools from Ikarus, Protected.net and securiON performed at a somewhat lower level in terms of protection. Finishing in last place, Google Play Protect only detected 68.8 percent in the real-time test and 76.6 percent in the test with the reference set.

15 Security Apps for Android in an Endurance Test

Worldwide, there are over 3 billion Android devices in operation, and over 300 million new ones are added each quarter – and all are potential targets for attackers. Those who don't want to fall victim to an attack ought to protect their Android devices with a security app. The lab at AV-TEST...

www.av-test.org

 

[silversurfer]

During this 5-month long endurance test, Google Play Protect detected a little over two-thirds of nearly 20,000 infected apps the testing lab used as part of three rounds of tests.

Each of these testing rounds pitted the security apps against over 3,000 newly-discovered malware samples (up to 24 hours old) and a reference set of more than 3,000 other up to one-month-old samples.

"A total of 5 apps always detected all the attackers 100 percent in the real-time test and in the test with the reference set," AV-TEST found.
"Finishing in last place, Google Play Protect only detected 68.8 percent in the real-time test and 76.6 percent in the test with the reference set."

Google Play Protect also mistakenly detected 70 apps as potentially malicious out of almost 10,000 harmless ones installed by AV-TEST from the Play Store and third-party Android app stores.

Given that the Android built-in malware protection solution failed to detect over a third of the 20,000 malware samples thrown at it during the tests, AV-TEST advises users to use a second security app to block malware slipping through Play Protect's defenses.

Google Play Protect fails Android security tests once more

Google Play Protect, the Android built-in malware defense system, has failed the real-world tests of antivirus testing lab AV-TEST after detecting just over two thirds out of more than 20,000 malicious apps it was pitted against.

www.bleepingcomputer.com

 

[upnorth]

Google Play Protect always had a step hill to climb, but since the App Defense Alliance was created 2019 I deeply had hope to see a fair and much better improvement. It's after all today, 2021.

App Defense Alliance

App Defense Alliance is now part of the Linux Foundation. The Google programs below are still active and will evolve over time.

developers.google.com

Test antivirus software Google

The current tests of antivirus software from Google of AV-TEST, the leading international and independent service provider for antivirus software and malware.

www.av-test.org