But were the right products tested? Tech news outlet The Register pointed out that while some of the tested products have millions of users, others with over 10 million were omitted. The free edition of Lookout Mobile Security has 12 million users, and AVG Mobilation (formerly DroidSecurity) has 10 million or more, yet neither was included.
A related article at About.com listed the ten most popular free Android antivirus apps. Only two were among those tested. Here's the list:
AVG Antivirus Free (10,000,000 - 50,000,000 users)
Lookout Mobile Security (10,000,000 - 50,000,000 users)
Antivirus Free (Creative Labs) (5,000,000 - 10,000,000 users)
ALYac Android (1,000,000 - 5,000,000 users)
NetQin Security & Antivirus (1,000,000 - 5,000,000 users)
Norton Mobile Security Lite (1,000,000 - 5,000,000 users)
Web Antivirus (Shiftworks) (100,000 - 500,000 users)
Super Security Standard (100,000 - 500,000 users)
Bitdefender Mobile Security (beta) (100,000 - 500,000 users)
Zoner Antivirus Free (100,000 - 500,000 users)
Vendors Weigh In
Kevin Mahaffey, CTO and co-found of Lookout, didn't disparage the selection of products for testing but instead emphasized the need for true protection. "As instances of malware become more prevalent," said Mahaffey, "it’s critical that mobile security apps detect and block all of these threats to protect users. Mobile devices are becoming the dominant computing platform, which makes smartphones and tablets an attractive target for the bad guys."
Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist for AVG, felt that the incomplete initial test gave users an erroneous impression. He pointed out that nearly half the smartphones in the world run the Android OS. "It's been well documented by numerous sources," said Anscombe, "that there is an increasing trend in malware on this platform. Smartphone users need put security foremost when using these devices, just as they do when they use a PC with internet connectivity. We, the technology industry and media, need to assist users by educating them that security is essential on these devices… Headlines such as the recent article, that did not cover all the products and technologies available such as AVG's Mobilation, do not assist with this education and can lead to consumers not installing protection or thinking about security and this can leave them vulnerable."
New Test Pending
Fortunately, we won't have to wait too long for a more comprehensive test. Andreas Marx, CEO of AV-Test.org, confirmed that a new round of testing is already in the works. "You can expect a new test report of free and commercial Android security products early next year," said Marx.
Mobile antimalware has been around for years, and for most of those years it was irrelevant. Vendors admitted openly that they simply wanted to have a product already in place at the time mobile malware actually took off. That time is now. Juniper Networks recently reported a nearly fivefold increase in Android malware since July. I'll be extremely interested in the results of that new round of testing.