• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Scared of Android

A

acceptme

Newbie
Hi folks,

I am new to smartphones, leave alone android. I chose android given the flexibility it offers and it seems that it will remain market leader in the coming years.

However, I am damn scared after reading a lot of negative stuff about it. I am just 4 days old with smartphones and android therefore a lot of scare could be due to limited understanding.

Here it goes. I read that unlike any other mobile os, android apps ask for specific permissions. This puts your safety in your hands. Moreover, anti virus is of no use in android as there are no instances of it providing any safety against the malware attacks so far. So our safety is totally in our hands.

All this said and done, what i see with apps in android market is that most of them (even from good sources) ask for too many permissions. A lot of them they actually don't require. In addition, the permissions which are legitimate also give them power way beyond their actual requirement. I just hope we could give very clear cut permissions within each category. To my further horror, i read an article by a research firm which states that even the applications which require no permissions can steal your information. They justify their claim my making one such app. These kind of apps link themselves to other apps and transmit personal data.

After reading all this i am damn scared. In fact, in the past 4 days i have installed only those apps which require less or no permissions. These are generally from small developers. To give an example, instead of downloading a file manager, i have downloaded a couple of small apps and i am using it with stock file manager to serve my purpose without compromising my security. Don't know whether i can trust a go launcher or astro.

Guys, please advise on the specific issues which i have highlighted in the post above and also suggest the right strategy to stay secure in the android ecosystem.

Thanks for reading this rather long post. Cheers
 
The key here is to recognize you are carrying a computer that is on the Internet and treat as such. Once you do that here are your options:

Risky: Just install anything and everything from anywhere. I don't really recommend this.

Exposed: Download and install apps from trusted sources but don't worry about the permissions. Most developers are not out to do malicious things but they need permissions to do things that you may not realize or to monetize their app. The fact is if you want the app your going to sign off on it.

Moderate: Download and install apps from trusted sources and be aware of what your installing. Pay attention to reviews and the permissions. If the dev wants to many permissions in your opinion then find out why if you really want or need that app. Otherwise don't install it or find a more acceptable alternative.

Safe: Don't install any apps except maybe the most highly vetted and recommended ones. Takes some of the fun out of the phone but it is still a powerful, useful, and fuctional devices.

Paranoid: Return your smartphone. In fact don't even replace it with a feature phone. Take your computer off the Internet and get a land line with the simplest touch tone phone you can find. Cause that is what you have in your pocket - a computer on the Internet.
 
Look at it this way. Android is the most popular mobile OS.

Of the millions of people using it, I have yet to read of anyone being hacked or having their identity stolen due to using an Android device.
 
Android apps just tell you what the app has the ability to access when you download it. When I download apps on my iPad I have no way of knowing what that app can access.

I have a huge range of apps and have 100-150 apps on my phone at any given time. As long as an app has been downloaded a few hundred times at least and no one has left comments about it being spam or malicious then you are probably safe.

There is nothing to be afraid of when it comes to Android. My wife is completely non tech savvy and her and my 10 year old daughter both have Android phones. Neither of them have ever had any problems with anything corrupting their phones.

If in doubt about a specific app, just ask here and someone should be able to help you out.
 
Great!! Thanks for the suggestions....

@fbdryant3, I believe the moderate risk strategy should be appropriate...

@chrlswltrs, the kinda thumb rule shared by you is simple and should be effective...

I want to go for the moderate risk and the thumb rule (100+ download without complaints) strategy as suggested above, however, I want to know what precautions I should take specifically while using my credit card or bank's app on the phone.....I use it on my laptop without any doubts but I am new with phones so want to educate myself before any mishappenings :(

Thanks once again.
 
acceptme said:
Great!! Thanks for the suggestions....

@fbdryant3, I believe the moderate risk strategy should be appropriate...

@chrlswltrs, the kinda thumb rule shared by you is simple and should be effective...

I want to go for the moderate risk and the thumb rule (100+ download without complaints) strategy as suggested above, however, I want to know what precautions I should take specifically while using my credit card or bank's app on the phone.....I use it on my laptop without any doubts but I am new with phones so want to educate myself before any mishappenings :(

Thanks once again.
Click to expand...

I have my card stored with google checkout for purchasing things from the market. I trust google to keep my information safe.

I also have the Bank of America and USAA apps, and I will only use a banking app that is published by my bank, not a 3rd party app. I also have the PayPal app on my phone. All 3 of those keep everything encrypted.

I have a couple other apps I use that the company has my billing information, like redbox.

Basically if you trust a company with you billing information you can trust an app that comes directly from that company.
 
you're correct in that many apps request more permissions than they need. But if you do some research by skimming through the market comments on that particular app, you can see if there are any dangers by installing it. If an app is malicious, there's a very good chance that someone else already installed it and is having problems, therefore they will comment about it in the market. Now, thats not a sure-solution but its something for you to read before installing something. Its true that AV apps are not proven, although devs claim that they test their antivirus apps but I'll believe it when I witness an AV app clean a virus without any further problems to the phone.

Dont be scared of the phone. its just a phone and not the end of the world if you have to wipe it out because of a virus or something else. Just make sure you have your contacts stored in gmail and you wont lose any of that when you have to wipe it.
 
chrlswltrs said:
Android apps just tell you what the app has the ability to access when you download it. When I download apps on my iPad I have no way of knowing what that app can access.
Click to expand...

+1

Apps on every platform require permissions (whether that be iOS, Blackberry, or Windows Phone). Android is the only OS that will tell you what these permissions are, which actually enhances security.

There is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. I have over 200 apps installed, even from non-market sources, and have never received malware. It is extremely rare.

Avoiding malware on your phone is the same as avoiding it on your PC. Stay away from stupid/sexual/illegal programs/apps and you'll be fine. Examples of such apps: "hot girls" pictures/wallpapers, x-ray cameras, MP3 downloaders, etc.
 
aysiu said:
Instead of being scared, just be informed.

Read this:
http://androidforums.com/android-ap...explained-security-tips-avoiding-malware.html

Being scared is like holing yourself up in your house and never going outside because sometimes there are con artists out there. Be savvy. Don't be conned.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate. In fact this thread is a bible i refer to. In fact, my study on phone security and threats started after reading this ;-). Great compilation by this moderator.
 
acceptme said:
...what precautions I should take specifically while using my credit card or bank's app on the phone.....I use it on my laptop without any doubts but I am new with phones so want to educate myself before any mishappenings :(
Click to expand...
If you use Windows on your laptop that is far riskier than using an Android phone.
 
One other thing I tell everyone I know....You can limit your risk using credit cards by opening a checking account just for online purchases and getting a debit/credit card for it. That way your balance in that account is all that is at risk. I keep just enough in mine to make purchases online and if I plan to buy something expensive I transfer extra funds to it. And if your bank has an online presence, you can probably check your statement online to track the card's usage.

Of course, the previous posters' suggestions are excellent. One can always be more vigilant, and anything that helps minimize risk is worth looking into.
 
or get you a re loadable visa card and use that for purchases, but if apps was stealing info to use against you, i doubt it would be still on the market. Got to love Androids!!! ;)
 
Welcome to the world of Android. Here is my take on all of this. Your concerns are legitimate. But as others have said, don't be afraid, just be informed. Your phone is a computer in your pocket. I read and see many things as to how people can still your info., from installing apps on your phone to access your phone personal info. just by being on an unsecured wifi signal. Learning how the phone works and how the attacks occurs, is very helpful.

No one has mentioned this, but installing a Anti virus app like Lookout is the right way to go. Even though AV apps are not proven to catch everything out there, I believe they are a must. (Just like on PC's.) Of course, you still should look at permissions and ratings on apps.

I have over 200 apps on my phone and my phone is my laptop. (I use a lapdock.) I keep a lot of personal stuff on it, make purchases using my credit card, check my bank accts., etc. I do take per cations like:

I only use trusted wifi's and I don't transfer any personal data, don't check my e-mails or bank acct.s. (I will use 3G, 4G or my home wifi only.)

Don't let anyone use your phone. They can install spy ware on your phone.

Make sure that you don't use the same password for everything and use capital letters, symbols and numbers.

Set a pin for your voicemail.

Don't due automatic updates for your apps. Always check the permissions again and what was updated. (Sometimes the permissions change and the update causes problems and you might not want to update it.)

Have an app that auto clears the caches from apps, which is where your personal info is stored.
 
Pretty much agree with what itsallgood said except...antivirus like Lookout, McAfee, etc. is totally worthless and may even cause problems. The only possible purpose for antivirus on Android is to scan files on the phone that will be transferred to a vulnerable (as in Windows) machine.
 
Crashdamage said:
Pretty much agree with what itsallgood said except...antivirus like Lookout, McAfee, etc. is totally worthless and may even cause problems. The only possible purpose for antivirus on Android is to scan files on the phone that will be transferred to a vulnerable (as in Windows) machine.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. IMO Antivirus on Android is worthless right now. IMO they are just playing on people's fears that are used to PCs and want to get their name out there in the mobile world also.
 
Crashdamage said:
Pretty much agree with what itsallgood said except...antivirus like Lookout, McAfee, etc. is totally worthless and may even cause problems. The only possible purpose for antivirus on Android is to scan files on the phone that will be transferred to a vulnerable (as in Windows) machine.
Click to expand...

Anti virus may cause problems like?
 
Crashdamage said:
Pretty much agree with what itsallgood said except...antivirus like Lookout, McAfee, etc. is totally worthless and may even cause problems. The only possible purpose for antivirus on Android is to scan files on the phone that will be transferred to a vulnerable (as in Windows) machine.
Click to expand...

All good point. Just something to think about.

Truth be told, no AV program is 100% proof on PC or smartphones. I have received trojans and viruses on my PC, using a firewall. (Doesn't happen often, but it does happen.) Just like AV/Firewall programs on a PC has to know the latest threats in order to protect your PC and push out an update, the same is true for smartphone AV's apps. I'd rather make it harder for viruses, etc. to get on my phone. (Just my opinion.) As far as problems, the only thing I can see is slowing down on older phones and using up resources, since it has to run in the background.

With today's dual core smartphones and 1G of RAM being the standard now, this should be a problem of the past. Also, most people don't even know how to set up there phone's to run correctly and that some apps clash with others. (Which will cause slowness and even foreclosures of apps., but not in all cases.)

Me and my wife have two vehicles with stock alarms. We still use "The Club" as added security, even though we most likely don't need them. If I was to catch a virus, etc. on my phone, I wouldn't say the AV app was defective or didn't work. I think it would be that I was careless and gave it permission to download or the company didn't have this new threat in there database. But as of right now, I'm virus free and would like to keep it that way.
 
I agree with the comments above about treating it as a calculated risk. I have been on Android for almost 2 years and love it. One strategy I've used is when I look at the market, I check out the user reviews before downloading. If it sucks or causes issues it will probably be in there. If the app has good reviews then I trust it & go for it!
 
Sideman said:
One other thing I tell everyone I know....You can limit your risk using credit cards by opening a checking account just for online purchases and getting a debit/credit card for it. That way your balance in that account is all that is at risk. I keep just enough in mine to make purchases online and if I plan to buy something expensive I transfer extra funds to it. And if your bank has an online presence, you can probably check your statement online to track the card's usage.

Of course, the previous posters' suggestions are excellent. One can always be more vigilant, and anything that helps minimize risk is worth looking into.
Click to expand...

thx buddy. How do you transfer funds to this check out account created for online/mobile purchases. Do you use a cheque?
 
@ itsallgood, if speed is the only issue then i also feel that with 1 GB RAM i can also afford an anti virus. lookout seems to be most popular of all. cheers
 
acceptme said:
How do you transfer funds to this check out account created for online/mobile purchases. Do you use a cheque?
Click to expand...
Do electronic transfers on the bank's website - no need to mess with a check.

However, using a checking account doesn't offer the same protections as using a credit card. I would never use a checking account even with a limited balance.

As for antivirus, it's not a question of speed, RAM, etc. It's that antivirus for Android is pointless. There are NO Android viruses. Don' think of Android in Windows terms. It's not Windows and so does not have the same vulnerabilies as Windows.

Antivirus companies depend on the fear and ignorance of their customers. Companies peddling antivirus for Android (or Linux) should be ashamed of themselves - at least be honest that it is only useful for scanning files to be transferred to Windows machines.

Sent from HTC G2
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom