14 DAY TRIAL // McAfee has announced the availability of McAfee Application Control for Android, which is said to be the industry’s first ever whitelisting security solution for Android-based embedded systems.
Unlike other Android security solutions, McAfee’s Application Control resides in the kernel of the operating system, thus providing not only application layer protection, but also protection against the installation and execution of malware.
Most Android security applications leave devices vulnerable to system-level attacks because they operate at user level. However, this gap is closed by McAfee because the new solution resides in the kernel.
“McAfee is the only security technology provider that provides enforceable security by residing in the Android kernel space. As Android kernel has been adopted on core Linux platform, it was a natural ground for us to extend our whitelisting solution capabilities to Android,” noted Rishi Bhargava, vice president of product management, Embedded Security at McAfee.
“As Android continues to grow in its adoption, McAfee is committed to making this platform as secure and trusted as other common embedded developer platforms.”
Key benefits of the McAfee Embedded Control solution are protection against tampering, superior operation control, and ease of management.
The new solution is capable of blocking unauthorized applications or changes on a wide range of devices, including point-of-sale infrastructures, medical devices, industrial control systems, retail devices, gaming devices, and even automotive, aerospace and military devices.
“There was already growing interest in Android in embedded systems. With McAfee extending its security to Android, this will only enhance the operating system for new product designs,” commented Hiroshi Komura, associate senior vice president at NEC Infrontia Corporation.
“NEC Infrontia is expanding its use of the Android platform in order to offer a wide range of technology choices to its customers.”
Additional technical details on McAfee Embedded Control and availability information can be found here.