Security involves not only protection from malicious programs. In general, the security of mobile devices should include features to protect privacy, possibility of more intrusive restrictions on applications, creating backups in case of breakage of the device and blacklisting unwanted calls and systems of encryption and parental control features . Android is a flexible operating system and you can get all the features you have mentioned downloading of Google Play adequate security applications. There are many applications to choose from, but we threw a hand creating a short list just for you:
Free / Premium
Almost all applications assume that the person using the device is the rightful owner. But a friend can take your phone "just to see what it contains," your children use to play and colleagues or relatives want to take a look to see if you have common interests. In the latter two cases, a security code done with a pattern or PIN code can help, but when you give your child a mobile or a friend, you have to unlock them anyway. In these cases, it is likely that all your data is available in a couple of clicks. Lock (App Lock) solves this problem by creating a list of protected applications. At launch one of these applications, you have to enter a security code. Also, you can store photos and personal videos in a password protected gallery, and leave the rest in the normal folders. For more "paranoid" users, Lock (App Lock) can hide everything and in this case the app settings are enabled only through a secret code sent per call.
Free
When installing an application, Android notifies you of the authorizations that are necessary. If you've noticed that this new screensaver requires access to your list of SMS registration contacts (this is a very bad sign , it would be better not to install it), you can accept (with all the negative consequences) or cancel the installation. In any case, there are more and more applications that require "extra" released. Google has a tool to selectively revoke authorizations already installed some applications. This functionality was available for Android 4.3 and App called Ops, but unfortunately removed in version 4.4.2. App Ops simply provides access to the settings screen where Google can apply a set of constraints, since each application to access the contact list to the user's geolocation. For Android version 4.4.2 and following, App Ops requires root access . For versions below 4.3, Ops App is not available, but the LBR Privacy Guard app provides similar functionality.
$7.61
To those who keep confidential documents on your mobile device, applications such as Lock (App Lock) or PIN codes are not sufficient. For Android 3.0 or later versions, the operating system provides some functionality to encrypt all data stored on the smartphone. This serves to protect the information but, for the system to be effective it is necessary to introduce a rather complicated password every time you want to use the phone. And admittedly it is quite uncomfortable entering a long password 50 times a day; why there is an alternative: encrypt important data. Applications eats EDS represent a good solution. Store files on these "containers" makes them inaccessible to anyone but the user. EDS offers two modes: there is a simpler, with which you have to manually do all the operations in the container. The most advanced mode requires root access : in this case, if an encrypted container is active, functions as a memory stick. When you save a file there, is encrypted automatically. Another important detail: EDS containers are compatible with TrueCrypt application for computers, for exchanging data between systems easier.
We recommend this application for home users, but businesses and corporate users should install a special MDM solution , which provides a holistic security approach for mobile devices.
$ 20 per device
A parental control application should operate differently depending on the age of the child. For teenagers, the situation should be: the guy or the girl constantly using the device and their parents set specific limitations, such as denying access to pornographic websites or define a maximum time to play with the phone. Play Google offers different applications of this type, but many are not very functional for several reasons. Funamo Parental Control goes beyond expectations: Blocks web pages based on some keywords, places restrictions on the purchase of upgrades or added elements of games installed, provides safe navigation in Google, Bing or Yahoo or limit the use of some applications (based on time of day, the duration of the game etc..). A father or mother can use a control functionalities remotely (GPS location, read messages, browsing history etc..) Through the website. The main shortcoming of the application is that there is no filter results by category (violence, politics, porn etc.) Option available in the Windows version of Kaspersky Internet Security and Kaspersky Safe Browser .
In fact, this application is not possible to monitor the activity of mobile discreetly, since the application sends notifications. So parents should talk to their children about it together and establish rules for use of the phone.
In almost half of the galleries of photos are stored smartphones that users do not want the whole world to see. A simple way to hide them without deleting is Gallery Lock. The selected images are deleted from the traditional gallery to be stored in a special password protected gallery. Most discrete users can enable a feature that allows you to delete the icon Gallery Lock mobile then you must enter a PIN to access the application.
For those who want to hide the contact list, call log and messages, there is a specific option in
Free / Premium
Kaspersky Internet Security for Android is an application designed to protect you from mobile viruses and dangerous web pages (such as phishing , for example). But it does just this. Even the free version offers different functionalities burglar. You can find your lost smartphone launching a beep, you can lock the device or erase data remotely, find the phone via GPS or take a picture of the person who found (or rather stolen).
Also, you can hide some contacts record calls or messages, so no one can access them. There is also a facility to create black lists of contacts to not receive calls or message from these people
As regards the malware, according to recent independent tests, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android provides maximum security against malware attacks ( more than 100,000 Android devices run only in the first quarter of 2014).
Free
The application name also refers to parental control, but it is not just this. It would be better to speak of a safe area for children in the smartphone. When this "zone" is activated, the smartphone allows you to launch applications only included on a list of allowed programs; the child can not make or receive calls, and no restrictions on the purchase and installation of applications. That is, the child can use the phone just to play. Big plus!
Free / $ 12 per year
A password manager for various platforms that enables a single database in the cloud to computers and smartphones to disable advertising and access to certain additional features have to buy an annual license. With LastPass, you can access each web page using a unique and complex password , without overstretching the capacities of memory. Compared with other applications, LastPass is attractive because of its double verification system that runs on application startup.
Free / Premium
The ability to perform backups on Android is partly enabled by default, and if you drive all the settings correctly, not loose contact or application, whatever happens. However, when starting a new phone, you would have to go through a tedious process of re-configuring everything, for example, place the necessary icons on the screen. In addition, some data, including call logging and conversation history, are not included in a backup. The MyBackup application is trying to save (and restore) all the components of your system: playlists, names of WiFi access points, glossaries Auto Correct a keyboard, application settings, etc.. The copy can be saved to an SD card or in the cloud or MyBackup. A number of features require root access . Compared to the famous Titanium Backup, this app provides enhanced functionality in "non-root" mode.
Free
Thanks to the revelations of Edward Snowden, the Tor Project and other tools to anonymize one's presence on the Internet gained much popularity last year. The flexibility of the implemented Android allows Tor proxy on a smartphone, and that's exactly what Orbot. After a simple setup, any application installed on a smartphone can connect to the Internet through a chain of "onion routers", making communication very difficult owner to trace. The only requirement is the ability of an application to operate through a proxy server. In addition, developers der Orbot arise a number of applications optimized for privacy and Tor: the private browser Orweb, DuckDuckGo search application, etc..
Mobile security Official android recommendation tips
1.Lock ( App Lock )
Password Security for apps and multimedia contentFree / Premium
Almost all applications assume that the person using the device is the rightful owner. But a friend can take your phone "just to see what it contains," your children use to play and colleagues or relatives want to take a look to see if you have common interests. In the latter two cases, a security code done with a pattern or PIN code can help, but when you give your child a mobile or a friend, you have to unlock them anyway. In these cases, it is likely that all your data is available in a couple of clicks. Lock (App Lock) solves this problem by creating a list of protected applications. At launch one of these applications, you have to enter a security code. Also, you can store photos and personal videos in a password protected gallery, and leave the rest in the normal folders. For more "paranoid" users, Lock (App Lock) can hide everything and in this case the app settings are enabled only through a secret code sent per call.
2.App Ops
To revoke the authorization of an applicationFree
When installing an application, Android notifies you of the authorizations that are necessary. If you've noticed that this new screensaver requires access to your list of SMS registration contacts (this is a very bad sign , it would be better not to install it), you can accept (with all the negative consequences) or cancel the installation. In any case, there are more and more applications that require "extra" released. Google has a tool to selectively revoke authorizations already installed some applications. This functionality was available for Android 4.3 and App called Ops, but unfortunately removed in version 4.4.2. App Ops simply provides access to the settings screen where Google can apply a set of constraints, since each application to access the contact list to the user's geolocation. For Android version 4.4.2 and following, App Ops requires root access . For versions below 4.3, Ops App is not available, but the LBR Privacy Guard app provides similar functionality.
Functionality hidden # Android: revoke authorizations for existing applications. It can, for example, disable the geolocation of a given app.
3.EDS
Encrypting data on your smartphone$7.61
To those who keep confidential documents on your mobile device, applications such as Lock (App Lock) or PIN codes are not sufficient. For Android 3.0 or later versions, the operating system provides some functionality to encrypt all data stored on the smartphone. This serves to protect the information but, for the system to be effective it is necessary to introduce a rather complicated password every time you want to use the phone. And admittedly it is quite uncomfortable entering a long password 50 times a day; why there is an alternative: encrypt important data. Applications eats EDS represent a good solution. Store files on these "containers" makes them inaccessible to anyone but the user. EDS offers two modes: there is a simpler, with which you have to manually do all the operations in the container. The most advanced mode requires root access : in this case, if an encrypted container is active, functions as a memory stick. When you save a file there, is encrypted automatically. Another important detail: EDS containers are compatible with TrueCrypt application for computers, for exchanging data between systems easier.
We recommend this application for home users, but businesses and corporate users should install a special MDM solution , which provides a holistic security approach for mobile devices.
4.Funamo Parental Control
Parental control over teenage users$ 20 per device
A parental control application should operate differently depending on the age of the child. For teenagers, the situation should be: the guy or the girl constantly using the device and their parents set specific limitations, such as denying access to pornographic websites or define a maximum time to play with the phone. Play Google offers different applications of this type, but many are not very functional for several reasons. Funamo Parental Control goes beyond expectations: Blocks web pages based on some keywords, places restrictions on the purchase of upgrades or added elements of games installed, provides safe navigation in Google, Bing or Yahoo or limit the use of some applications (based on time of day, the duration of the game etc..). A father or mother can use a control functionalities remotely (GPS location, read messages, browsing history etc..) Through the website. The main shortcoming of the application is that there is no filter results by category (violence, politics, porn etc.) Option available in the Windows version of Kaspersky Internet Security and Kaspersky Safe Browser .
In fact, this application is not possible to monitor the activity of mobile discreetly, since the application sends notifications. So parents should talk to their children about it together and establish rules for use of the phone.
5.Gallery Lock
To hide from the media gallery
Free / Premium
Note: This application and its likes are not stable Android 4.4 (KitKat). Users of version 4.4 is recommended to back up your photos, but the functionalities Show / Hide function properly.Free / Premium
In almost half of the galleries of photos are stored smartphones that users do not want the whole world to see. A simple way to hide them without deleting is Gallery Lock. The selected images are deleted from the traditional gallery to be stored in a special password protected gallery. Most discrete users can enable a feature that allows you to delete the icon Gallery Lock mobile then you must enter a PIN to access the application.
For those who want to hide the contact list, call log and messages, there is a specific option in
6.Kaspersky Internet Security for Android
Antitheft and antivirus options to protect your smartphone from fraud and indiscreet friendsFree / Premium
Kaspersky Internet Security for Android is an application designed to protect you from mobile viruses and dangerous web pages (such as phishing , for example). But it does just this. Even the free version offers different functionalities burglar. You can find your lost smartphone launching a beep, you can lock the device or erase data remotely, find the phone via GPS or take a picture of the person who found (or rather stolen).
Also, you can hide some contacts record calls or messages, so no one can access them. There is also a facility to create black lists of contacts to not receive calls or message from these people
As regards the malware, according to recent independent tests, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android provides maximum security against malware attacks ( more than 100,000 Android devices run only in the first quarter of 2014).
7.Kids Place
Device safe area for your childrenFree
The application name also refers to parental control, but it is not just this. It would be better to speak of a safe area for children in the smartphone. When this "zone" is activated, the smartphone allows you to launch applications only included on a list of allowed programs; the child can not make or receive calls, and no restrictions on the purchase and installation of applications. That is, the child can use the phone just to play. Big plus!
8.LastPass
Password ManagerFree / $ 12 per year
A password manager for various platforms that enables a single database in the cloud to computers and smartphones to disable advertising and access to certain additional features have to buy an annual license. With LastPass, you can access each web page using a unique and complex password , without overstretching the capacities of memory. Compared with other applications, LastPass is attractive because of its double verification system that runs on application startup.
9.My Backup
Backup for SmartphoneFree / Premium
The ability to perform backups on Android is partly enabled by default, and if you drive all the settings correctly, not loose contact or application, whatever happens. However, when starting a new phone, you would have to go through a tedious process of re-configuring everything, for example, place the necessary icons on the screen. In addition, some data, including call logging and conversation history, are not included in a backup. The MyBackup application is trying to save (and restore) all the components of your system: playlists, names of WiFi access points, glossaries Auto Correct a keyboard, application settings, etc.. The copy can be saved to an SD card or in the cloud or MyBackup. A number of features require root access . Compared to the famous Titanium Backup, this app provides enhanced functionality in "non-root" mode.
10.Orbot
Tor project for AndroidFree
Thanks to the revelations of Edward Snowden, the Tor Project and other tools to anonymize one's presence on the Internet gained much popularity last year. The flexibility of the implemented Android allows Tor proxy on a smartphone, and that's exactly what Orbot. After a simple setup, any application installed on a smartphone can connect to the Internet through a chain of "onion routers", making communication very difficult owner to trace. The only requirement is the ability of an application to operate through a proxy server. In addition, developers der Orbot arise a number of applications optimized for privacy and Tor: the private browser Orweb, DuckDuckGo search application, etc..
Mobile security Official android recommendation tips