Advice Request Do we really need AV on Android?

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Outpost

Level 5
Verified
Well-known
Jan 11, 2020
220
Nobody was born as an IT expert. Everyone, no one excluded, went from the user's basic stage, to then move on to the next level, then experts. If any user is stuck at the basic or medium level, worse for them.

This too is part of evolution. Darwin had already studied the phenomenon ...
 

KonradPL

Level 5
Thread author
Verified
Well-known
May 1, 2018
229
At the end even if I have basic knowledge and pretty safe habits it is better to have an AV. Am i correct?
 
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ForgottenSeer 823865

Nobody was born as an IT expert. Everyone, no one excluded, went from the user's basic stage, to then move on to the next level, then experts. If any user is stuck at the basic or medium level, worse for them.

This too is part of evolution. Darwin had already studied the phenomenon ...
You can't expect people who have to work 10-12 hours to focus on such low real-life priority as cybersecurity...they expect the vendor which was paid a small fortune to do the job.
Same reason why when an AV fails to protect a user, they blame the AV, not their risky habits; how many times i heard "i paid for this AV, it must protect me !!!"
 

Outpost

Level 5
Verified
Well-known
Jan 11, 2020
220
So are you saying that if I take a drug with wrong doses without reading the dosage, can I retaliate on the pharmaceutical company?
Come on @Umbra doesn't work like that.
I'm sure you don't really think so.

My daughter (12 years old) on Windows does not open unexpected mail or attachments. Attachments from known emails, scan them on VT.
On Android, he asks me for advice before installing the app.
My daughter has nothing to protect but she behaves this way and I would expect a user who works there to behave even better. Obviously I delude myself.
That said, if a 12-year-old girl uses the brain, the rest of them should use it too.
 
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ForgottenSeer 823865

So are you saying that if I take a drug with wrong doses without reading the dosage, can I retaliate on the pharmaceutical company?
Come on @Umbra doesn't work like that.
I'm sure you don't really think so.

My daughter (12 years old) on Windows does not open unexpected mail or attachments. Attachments from known emails, scan them on VT.
On Android, he asks me for advice before installing the app.
My daughter has nothing to protect but she behaves this way and I would expect a user who works there to behave even better. Obviously I delude myself.
That said, if a 12-year-old girl uses the brain, the rest of them should use it too.
Sadly it DID work like that...

Long long time ago, was a repair guy named Umbra, he has many customers who frequently called him when they got issues, when Umbra told them to get some security awareness by reading few articles, 90% told them "Umbra ! i don't have time !, when i come home, i just want relax and watch my favorite show or read my favorite site. why do you think i pay you..."

Your daughter is wiser than many of my customers, but she also have time to educate herself because she has someone around her who raised her Security awareness, unlike most my customers.
 
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ForgottenSeer 72227

the abysmal Android security is due to the manufacturers not supporting the OS after a few years whereas the Linux community actively supports fixes on desktop
Android OS phone scam, scam, scam

Not to mention every phone maker does their own thing when it comes to UI, preloaded crap apps and stuff. While I like Android phones over iPhones for other reasons, I do agree that the Android market place is overly fragmented. Personally I think this is where Google dropped the ball big time. They gave way too much control over to the handset makers, hence why there is this mess. At least with Windows MS controls the updates and so doesn't matter if you got your computer from Dell, Asus, HP, etc... you get the updates for as long as MS will support that version of Windows. The PC makers have no control over Windows updates, UI, etc...

Personally this is how Android should have worked. Phone makers get the OS from Google, but they cannot change the UI, they have to allow updates from Google no matter how long Google decides it wants to update certain phones. At least this way there would be more control over the whole Android ecosystem. It's no coincidence that most phone makers don't offer updates past 2 years, which is when most people's contracts with their respective cell network providers ends.:unsure:


Sadly it DID work like that...

Long long time ago, was a repair guy named Umbra, he has many customers who frequently called him when they got issues, when Umbra told them to get some security awareness by reading few articles, 90% told them "Umbra ! i don't have time !, when i come home, i just want relax and watch my favorite show or read my favorite site. why do you think i pay you..."

Your daughter is wiser than many of my customers, but she also have time to educate herself because she has someone around her who raised her Security awareness, unlike most my customers.

It's the sad reality we live in.

Anything negative that happens, whether it's computers, or other things in life, it's never the person themselves that gets the blame, it always the product, company, etc... I know in this day in age it's all about go, go, go, so I can appreciate just wanting to sit down and chill, but at the same time I feel like a lot of people use the "I don't have enough time" excuse way too much. It is what it is, but it will be interesting to see if it gets better over time, with newer generations being brought up with technology in their lives. Hopefully at some point they will learn the basics of security along the way.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

AYIZEB

Level 2
Verified
Oct 18, 2016
73
I use antivirus on Android, on my Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus with the February 2020 patch, in the end it all sums up if you feel comfortable and comfortable, because no antivirus is a divine savior, but if you have good habits on the internet and you feel Safer used an antivirus, go ahead, it's your decision.
 
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ForgottenSeer 85911

You can't expect people who have to work 10-12 hours to focus on such low real-life priority as cybersecurity...they expect the vendor which was paid a small fortune to do the job.
Same reason why when an AV fails to protect a user, they blame the AV, not their risky habits; how many times i heard "i paid for this AV, it must protect me !!!"

literally millions of Android phones are compromised per month
the users include doctors, engineers, scientists even the presidents and prime ministers of nations with extensive dedicated IT staff
is someone going to call these people stupid and put the blame on them for the insecure Android platform ?

society is not going to solve the security problem by educating citizens about security
and you cannot expect people to make digital security one of their top priorities

daily there are countless posts of this or that compromise Android
Google has done clean-up in its store countless times with no net effect
there is no end in sight

Tavis Ormandy has a rather dim opinion of Android and he even works for Google
even he says the Android security is broken

so given all that evidence no one with any sense of understanding or credibility can argue for Android
only a smug security forum member or one with hurt feelings or some agenda would say otherwise
 
Last edited by a moderator:

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