A full-featured tool to protect Android users from malware, phishing, and other threats

Aug 24, 2013 13:01 GMT  ·  By

Back in March, ESET announced a new version of their mobile antivirus software for Android smartphones and tablet PCs, namely the ESET Mobile Security 2.0 beta, which has become available as a final product in the beginning of this month.

The mobile application takes advantage of the same award-winning technology that is powering the desktop antivirus from ESET, meant to provide real-time protection against online threats and malicious applications on mobile devices as well.

ESET Mobile Security 2.0 landed on Android devices with a brand new user interface when compared to the previous version of the application, while also bringing along powerful new features and capabilities, all designed to offer increased protection against the continuously growing threats in the mobile world.

The tool comes with a series of core features that are available for free, though the full set of capabilities that it has to offer is unlocked only when users choose to go premium.

Furthermore, the security software was meant to provide increased protection of users’ data, courtesy of Anti-Theft options, Anti-Phishing capabilities, Security Audit, and SMS/Call Filter features, while also offering increased control over devices.

After using ESET Mobile Security 2.0 for Android for almost two weeks now, we’ve discovered that it offers increased ease of use, all starting from the installation process, which includes a Setup Wizard meant to bring the main features of the software – such as Anti-Theft protection – up and running.

Right from the start, users will be asked to choose a password for the application to protect their devices and then they are guided through the main features of the software in a simple and intuitive manner.

Thus, both inexperienced and advanced users will have the possibility to ensure increased protection of their data even at times when their smartphone or tablet PC is lost or stolen.

For that, ESET Mobile Security 2.0 sports Uninstall Protection, meant to prevent the application from being uninstalled should the device fall into the wrong hands, while also offering tracking and data wipe features through Anti-Theft protection.

The feature is easy to set up right from the get-go, is password-protected, and is designed to tie the mobile device to the SIM card present inside it when ESET’s software is installed.

With the SIM card labeled as “trusted,” ESET Mobile Security 2.0 will lock down the device when someone attempts to put a different card inside it, while also sending an alert to a friend’s phone (which you have previously chosen) to inform them that a different SIM has been inserted in your handset.

The Anti-Theft protection also allows users to set the security application to perform specific actions on the mobile phone (it won’t work on tablets) in the event that it is misplaced or stolen, including device lock, play a sound, find by GPS, or remote wipe.

In order to take advantage of this functionality, you’ll have to designate a friend’s phone number as a trusted contact, and enable SMS text commands in the mobile application.

Then, simply ask your friend to send to the device messages such as “eset lock password,” “eset siren password,” “eset find password,” or “eset wipe password” to perform said actions. You’ll have to provide them with the password you set for the Anti-Theft feature for that.

The “eset siren” feature was designed so as to play a loud siren sound when activated, and does so even if the smartphone is set to silent. It can be silenced through entering the unlock password in ESET, or through shutting the phone down.

One thing that users should keep in mind when choosing to use the “eset wipe” function is that all data on the smartphone will be erased, including contacts, messages, emails, apps, microSD card contents, and accounts.

This means that, even if the device is found, wiped data cannot be recovered, unless it has been saved to another device or to the cloud (re-syncing the same account to the phone will bring backed up files back to it).

Paired with the Uninstall Protection, this feature should provide users with additional ease of mind when it comes to having their phones lost or stolen, especially since they will also be able to find the device on a map when using the “eset find” command.

Furthermore, ESET’s updated application includes SIM Guard as a premium feature, which ensures that the device receives remote commands even if an untrusted SIM card has been inserted. Your designated trusted friend will be provided with the inserted SIM’s phone number, IMSI, and the device’s IMEI code.

Another new, premium functionality in ESET Mobile Security 2.0 is Security Audit, designed to provide users with specific details on how their device behaves, on the features that have been enabled or disabled in it, and on the applications installed.

When going to the Security Audit screen, users will have the option to access either the Device Monitoring feature, or the Application Audit, or can turn them on or off.

When turned on, Device Monitoring will inform users on the smartphone’s or tablet’s behavior in certain conditions, constantly keeping track of Wi-Fi connections, memory usage, Data roaming, and Call roaming, and alerting users if installation from unknown sources and debug mode is turned on.

Users can choose to leave any of these unmonitored, through simple switches present next to every one of them in the Device Monitoring section.

If turned on, the Wi-Fi tracking feature will constantly verify the type of Wi-Fi connection that the Android device is using, alerting the owners each and every time they connect to a public, untrusted network.

ESET Mobile Security 2.0 will also alert users when they are running low on memory on their handset or slate, so that they could dispose of unused applications or move them to the external memory to boost performance.

The Data and Call roaming sections will inform on the additional costs that using the device when traveling abroad or connected to a different carrier’s network could imply, while also warning them to keep an eye on the matter, to avoid any unpleasant surprises on their monthly bills.

The security application also warns users on the fact that installing apps from unknown sources is risky, as they often include malware that could harm their devices or result in data theft. As long as the setting is turned on and monitored, ESET Mobile Security 2.0 will display a warning.

Furthermore, the app warns on the potential threat that having USB Debugging turned on poses when connecting the device to an infected computer. Given that it is a feature destined mainly for developers, it should be turned off on most devices, to better protect them.

As mentioned above, the Application Audit included in ESET Mobile Security 2.0 was designed to deliver info on what permissions apps installed on the Android smartphone or tablet PC have.

Thus, users will know which software uses paid services, which can track their location or read identity info, and whether they have installed apps that can access their contacts and messages.

The security tool will provide a list of apps included in every one of the aforementioned categories, and will also add items to any of them when new software is installed.

Through Anti-Theft and Security Audit, ESET Mobile Security 2.0 is destined to bring some extra layers of security to Android devices, while also making users aware of how their handsets and tablets, along with the applications loaded on them, behave.

However, these are only two of the features that users will grow to appreciate about the new ESET Mobile Security 2.0, as the application was also designed to offer real-time antivirus protection, malware scanning capabilities, anti-phishing options, and more.

When enabled, the real-time protection will screen all applications for malware in real time, and will send suspicious software to quarantine by default. Users will also have the option to remove these apps through going to Antivirus > Advanced Settings > Default action.

There, they will also be provided with the possibility to turn real-time protection on or off, and to perform similar actions to ESET Live Grid and to the detection of potentially unwanted and unsafe applications.

Designed to offer maximum protection against emerging threats, the ESET Live Grid is based on cloud technology, collecting data that ESET users worldwide have submitted and allowing the security company to release relevant updates to its virus signature database.

Although the application’s real-time protection feature does not impact a device’s performance, users will find that new or updated apps will need a bit more time to launch after being installed, as ESET will automatically scan them to ensure that they do not include malicious code.

ESET Mobile Security 2.0 can also scan the device to detect any threats that might be present on it, and can be set to perform scheduled scans on specific days of the week, at a designated hour.

Performing scans of the device isn’t too much of a hassle, due to the fact that the app comes with background scanning capabilities, which allow people to use their Android smartphones and tablets as usual even when they are being scanned for malicious code.

Users will be offered three different levels of scans, namely Quick, Smart, and Deep, while also having the possibility to check a list of quarantined items, view scan logs, and update threat database. The app can also be set to automatically update the database each and every day, once in three days, weekly, or once every other week.

Even when performing deep scans of the device, ESET Mobile Security 2.0 does not eat up a lot of resources. Its RAM usage was of only around 40MB (it even went down to 32MB at times), with the background scanning in progress, while the battery drain was insignificant.

However, CPU-Z did show a load in processor of 60 to 80 percent when the scanning wan undergoing on my smartphone, up significantly from the 20 percent load before the action started.

Android users who are heavy web surfers will enjoy increased protection from ESET Mobile Security 2.0 through another premium feature, namely Anti-Phishing, which has been designed to protect users’ personal information, including usernames and passwords, and even banking information and credit card details.

The functionality integrates with browsers installed on the handset or tablet PC to offer said protection, though it is compatible only with the default Android browser and with Google Chrome and Chrome Beta at the moment.

However, with a wide range of highly appealing mobile browsers currently available on Android, including Dolphin, Firefox, Opera, UC Browser, and others, it would be nice to see ESET Mobile Security 2.0 offering Anti-Phishing compatibility with more of them.

Android users who choose to purchase ESET Mobile Security 2.0 will also enjoy the newly included SMS & Call Filter option, which allows them to set specific rules for making and receiving calls and text messages from designated phone numbers or users.

Users will be able to set for all calls and SMS messages to be blocked for a certain period of time, while also having the option to let calls from family and friends get through.

The function also offers the possibility to have texts from a group of people blocked, while also denying calls and SMS messages from hidden numbers. One can also block the last caller.

These rules can be edited at all times, as the application will offer a list of what was blocked, which means that you will be able to remove a number from there should you change your mind. ESET Mobile Security 2.0 will also offer a history of all blocked communications.

The security application comes with support for a wide range of languages, allowing users to choose the one that suits them best. At installation, it will choose the system default language for its interface, but one can easily change that from the Settings menu.

There, users will also be able to change the security password they have selected for the app, can check for updates for the tool, and can also uninstall the software, should they want to.

Furthermore, they will find the option to set a permanent notification to be shown in the notifications bar, so as to keep them informed at all times on the fact that their devices are protected.

At the moment, ESET Mobile Security is available for download as version 2.0.792.0, with support for all smartphones and tablet PCs running under Android 2.3 and higher. It also requires at least 128MB of RAM and a minimum of 5MB of internal memory to run (the installation size is 1MB).

The application is available for free for all supported devices, though only core functionality is enabled in it, as mentioned before. Users who have purchased ESET Mobile Security version 1 are offered the possibility to upgrade to the new flavor for free.

Those who are new to the app will be able to try the premium version for free for 30 days, once per device, or can choose to purchase a 1-year license for $14.95 (€11.17), directly from the application. Simply click on the three dots on the upper right corner in the app's main screen, and select License.

Overall, the various features that were included in ESET Mobile Security 2.0 make it an essential app to have up and running on any Android device, especially given the increase in threats observed lately on the mobile platform.

Given its intuitive interface and a well-designed help section (accessible through the question mark at the upper right corner of the screen), ESET Mobile Security 2.0 can easily prove a useful tool for both advanced users and beginners. We have 50 licenses to give away for ESET Mobile Security 2.0. Valid for one year, they can be won through posting an original comment about the software in the comments section below.

We’ll have the campaign running until next Monday, September 2. Winners of a free one-year license will be notified by the end of the next week. Just make sure you enter a valid email address so that we can contact you.

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