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Sophos Mobile Security for Android
Editors' Review
Sophos Mobile Security earns top marks on malware protection -- for free. The Android antimalware app can help track down a lost device, password-protect apps, check on which apps may be compromising your privacy, and manage passwords. What's not to like?
Pros
Scans: The Sophos virus scanner can check on-demand, or you can schedule scans. It also automatically checks new or updated apps you install. It lists potential threats, and notifies you if an app is clean or acts suspiciously after a scan.
Free: Unlike other popular, effective Android antivirus apps -- which offer virus scanning for free but charge for related security tools -- all of Sophos' security and privacy tools are free, with no annual subscription. The company's focus is on enterprise customers, and its mobile app serves as a loss leader.
Light on the scare tactics: The app takes an understated approach to alerting you to possible issues, with easy-to-understand notifications and no excessive warnings.
Top scores on malware detection: AV-Test -- an independent security and antivirus testing and research firm -- gave Sophos Mobile Security perfect scores on Android malware detection in recent tests.
Companion security and privacy tools: Along with malware protection, the app offers a range of protection tools: Locate a misplaced phone, remotely change the screen lock, and remotely perform a factory data reset if the phone is unrecoverable. Whitelist and blacklist numbers and contacts. And protect specific apps via a PIN, password, or fingerprint. And the app can warn you about malicious websites. The app also offers a password manager, a monitoring tool to keep track of different app permissions, and a QR code scanner that checks any embedded URL for malicious or inappropriate content.
SEE: The 7 Best Antivirus for Android to Keep Your Phone Secure
Cons
Could be organized better: It's a small quibble, but the the main sections of the Sophos app could be better organized around the tasks you are most likely to perform.
Bottom Line
Sophos's Mobile Security app for Android covers just about everything you'd want for guarding your phone's security and your own privacy, all for free. The app's understated approach stands out in a field of fearmongering security apps, but it could do a better job of foregrounding the tools you use most often.
Full Specifications
What's new in version 8.6.2862
- New Wi-Fi Security feature. Check your connection for man-in-the-middle attacks.
- New third-party enrollment: This app can be managed by Sophos Mobile even if the device is managed by a different EMM system.
General
Operating Systems
Popularity
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Developer's Description
Winner of the AV-TEST awards "Best Android Security 2016" and "Best Protection 2015"
For 14 tests in a row, starting September 2014, Sophos Mobile Security has hit a perfect 100% protection score in AV-TEST's comparison of the top Android security and antivirus apps.
Full features, no advertising, all free
Sophos is an IT security leader for companies and governments worldwide. This app comprehensively protects your Android device and your privacy without impacting performance or battery life.
Malware Protection
- Scan apps and storage media for malicious or inappropriate content, using up-to-the-minute intelligence from SophosLabs.
Loss & Theft Protection
- If your device is lost or stolen, remotely lock or wipe it to safeguard your data.
Web Filtering
- Block web sites with malicious, undesirable or illegal content.
App Protection
- Protect apps with a password.
Wi-Fi Security
- Check your connection for man-in-the-middle attacks.
Privacy Advisor
- List apps that access your personal data or that could create costs.
Security Advisor
- Get advice on how to improve device security.
Call Protection
- Block unwanted phone calls.
Secure QR Code Scanner
- Check URLs for malicious or inappropriate web sites.
- Add contacts to your address book.
- Set up Wi-Fi connections and warn of insecure encryption.
Password Safe
- Store all your account data in a KeePass-compatible password database.
Authenticator
- Generate time-based (TOTP, RFC 6238) and counter-based (HOTP, RFC 4226) one-time passwords for multi-factor authentication.
Managed Mode
- Managing Sophos Mobile Security using Sophos Mobile or Sophos Central lets your IT department monitor the health of your device to ensure company-wide protection.
Permissions
- Permissions are required to monitor incoming data, and to detect and stop threats. See more here: http://sophos.com/kb/117499
- This app uses the Device Administrator permission.
Battery and data usage
- Malware definitions update once a day to keep you protected. This uses a small amount of data.
- The initial full scan of every installed app causes a one-time increase in battery usage.
This app uses Accessibility services.
Support Information
- Knowledgebase: https://community.sophos.com/kb?TopicId=1294
- Support forum: https://community.sophos.com/products/mobile-device-protection/f/18
- Use our SDK for premium antivirus in your app: http://www.sophos.com/AndroidSDK