McAfee adds SMS filtering, smartphone threat intelligence to Android security app

McAfee has bolstered its mobile security suite by adding SMS and call filtering to protectagainst malicious apps that attempt to call or text to premium rate numbers.

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McAfee Mobile Security 2.0 supports Android smartphones and tablets, as well as BlackBerry andSymbian devices. The new features include McAfee App Alert, which monitors running apps todetermine how apps are accessing personal data and whether it is transmitting the data. Meanwhile,SMS filtering weeds out spammers, incorrect numbers and unwanted texts. The mobile app can alsoupdate itself by tapping into McAfees Global Threat Intelligence network.

The McAfee software is similar to other security mobile apps. McAfees chief rival, Symantec,provides Norton Security for Android Devices. Antivirus vendors Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Lookout andAVG also provide mobile security apps in the Android Market.  All of the Androidsecurity apps provide similar functionality.

Despite the slow rise of mobile attacks, thechance of a mobile device user being targeted is low, according to McAfee. While Androidusers appear to be at greater risk than other mobile platforms, the PC is still the firstchoice of cybercriminals. Enterprises are more worried about lostand stolen devices, than the threats posed by malicious applications, phishing and mobilemalware.  

To help protect against data falling into the wrong hands, McAfee provides remote wipe, devicelock and backup and restore features to the device. The software can also locate and track a lostor stolen device using GPS data. Users can also remotely trigger an annoying alarm for their deviceif they suspect it has been stolen. Like most of the security apps for smartphones, many of thefeatures can be disabled if a thief removes the devices SIM card. In addition, the McAfee app canscan URLs in email, analyze files and providing web browsing protection.

Security vendors have had a difficult time designing securitysoftware for mobile devices because mobile platforms are built to isolate processes, limitingaccess to applications, including apps that provide security. Some users in the Android Market havecomplained that the McAfee app causes a variety of registration and performance issues on theirdevices. 

The software is $29.99 for new subscribers. A free trial of McAfee MobileSecurity is available from the Android Market. Existing users can download the update forfree.