Why install Sophos antivirus or mobile security for safer playstore app downloading?

Hi Shauya, 

As per Sophos Mobile Security for Androids, some of the anti-malware and antivirus features it provides are as follows:

• Scans apps when you install them
• Scans previously installed apps both on your device and on storage devices
• Scans apps either on demand or at set intervals
• Shows you potentially unwanted apps (PUAs)
• Protects you from malicious use of USSDs
• Uses up-to-the-minute threat intelligence from the cloud

Let me know if this helps resolve your query.

So tell me will it identify the apps in the app store itself as which one is good and which one is a potential threat to my mobile or any android/iOS mobile?

So tell me will it identify the apps in the app store itself as which one is good and which one is a potential threat to my mobile or any android/iOS mobile?

Shaurya Sinha said:

So tell me will it identify the apps in the app store itself as which one is good and which one is a potential threat to my mobile or any android/iOS mobile?

Shaurya,

Sophos Mobile Security only works on an Android devices.  Sophos Mobile Security can’t be deployed in iOS environments nor can it access the iTunes Store.  You won't find Sophos Mobile Security or any other antimalware in the iTunes Store.  Apple doesn’t not allow the installation of third-party antimalware on iOS devices because all Apple devices contain built in antimalware security.  All the security apps for iOS merely ensure the device has the current version of iOS.

Sophos Mobile Security on your Android device can’t tell you which Google Play Store apps are safe or malicious while they are in the store.  There is no antimalware program that can scan the Google Play Store from an Android device.  You can search the internet to research which apps may be dangerous beforehand installing, but that research will only be good at the time of publishing.  Things change over time.

When you install an app, Sophos will scan it to make sure no malicious code is inside it.  After an app has be verified as clean and installed in your Android device, the app can become infected later as it communicates with other services and devices.  Sophos Mobile Security will continue to scan and monitor all your apps over time.  When an app on your phone acts malicious, Sophos Mobile Security will lock down the app and alert you.

Google makes your Android OS and the Google Play Store.  Your device manufacturer makes your device and makes modifications to Android to make it work on your device.  It’s up to Google, the device manufacturers, and the app developers to provide you with Android safety.   Sophos ensures the safety of your data, your Android device, and your various apps by coordinating with Google, device manufacturers, app developers, cyber security experts, and other researchers.

Hi Shaurya, 

Everything David explained is true except that Sophos Mobile Security is available for iOS devices as well. You can download Sophos Mobile Security for iOS from iTunes.

Haridoss Sreenivasan said:

Hi Shaurya, 

Everything David explained is true except that Sophos Mobile Security is available for iOS devices as well. You can download Sophos Mobile Security for iOS from iTunes. 

Yes, Hairdoss,

Sophos has an app called Sophos Mobile Security for iOS, but it is a completely different application from what Shaurya is asking about.

Sophos Mobile Security for iOS doesnt work the same way as Sophos Mobile Security for Android.  As I inexplained, in iOS, Sophos Mobile Security and all other similar security applications can’t scan your iOS device, the apps, or the traffic entering/leaving the device.  Security applications for iOS ensure that the iOS in your device is the latest version.  That's all they can do to secure iOS and the apps your device.  These security applications  sometimes include device tracking, remote locking/wiping, contact/password management, QR code scanning, and other features, but they can't do for iOS what Sophos Mobile Security does for Android devices.

Hello all, I am new to the community, and I am not  an IT professional. I am also aware this post is a few years old. What I can tell you about android and security, you will not hear from the OEMs or the carriers. No matter what you are told about security it will always come down to how much you know and what preventive measures take. There are many variables, that vary from manufacturers to the different carriers, as well as device model to model. Nothing about android is foolproof, you, the end user has to know your device, stay current on threats and protection. If you value the data, the ability to use your device, as you need it, you must protect it, because once it gets compromised, it is to late. In today's technical world, your device can hold so much information, it is truly taken for granted. Most people can not forsee  the implications of the  loss of data on a device. Personal or business, the far reaching damage that can be caused, then add in over time. After the fact it is to late. Take the time now, learn what you need to secure your device, Sophos provides not only a secure platform for your hardware, but an invaluable learning tool as well.