Android has always been considered one of the most insecure platforms. Affected by the unwillingness of users to pay for software that they downloaded for free from the Internet, periodically stumbling upon all sorts of viruses that seized control of their device, accounts and even bank accounts. Therefore, many decided that it was not bad in such a case to have an antivirus installed, which, in case of anything, would warn of the malicious activity of downloaded applications and save their smartphone from being hacked. But personally, such arguments cause nothing but sincere laughter in me. I explain on my fingers why.
Antivirus for Android is not needed. Checked on myself
Let's start with the fact that on Android viruses in the correct sense of the word do not exist in principle. After all, what is a virus? Despite the fact that most users mean by this term any malware at all, a virus is a very specific phenomenon, firstly, capable of multiplying independently and completely autonomously infecting vulnerable devices, and, secondly, primarily focused on destroying files. not stealing them or taking control of the device.
Are there viruses on Android
Remember, there are no viruses on Android
Is this of fundamental importance to users? Of course it does. The absence of real viruses under Android means that smartphones do not need active protection from words at all, because although Trojans can penetrate the memory under the guise of benign applications, in order for this to happen, active actions are needed with side of the user himself. After all, it is not enough just to download a Trojan to a device; you also need to give it all the privileges it asks for. Otherwise, he will not be able to realize most of his capabilities.
No, I don’t mean to say that you don’t need to defend against Trojans. Rather, the opposite. However, the point is that from you, as a user, this will require a minimum of effort. First of all, you need to remember that downloading any files from unreliable sources can be dangerous, which means that you need to minimize such cases. This is especially true for hacked APK applications that are distributed on the Internet. Just make it a rule not to download any trash, but use only Google Play or the manufacturer's branded catalog preinstalled on your smartphone, carefully reading the reviews and analyzing the rating of the software you are interested in.
How Google Play Protect works
Google Play Protect – quite effectively protects me from malicious software
However, in case you do run into a malicious application that sometimes also end up on Google Play, Android has built-in protection that shows itself only from the best side. This is, of course, the Google Play Protect antivirus that comes with all devices on Android licensed for Google Mobile Services. Whoever says anything about it, but in fact, it is a very effective tool that can ensure your security in many use cases.
For example, it not only scans Google Play and the device for openly malicious applications, but is also able to warn you if some benign program is doing something inappropriate, for example, leaking your data to the side or abusing privileges. This, as practice shows, also happens, not to mention the fact that Google antivirus is even able to block authorization windows on sites on the Internet if it detects malicious scripts on them or considers them fraudulent.
Sberbank antivirus for Android
And if Google Play Protect fails, Sberbank's antivirus will find what was missed
Undoubtedly, relying on Google Play Protect alone would be more than naive. In the end, even two locks are made on the front doors. But, fortunately, the developers of most banking and payment applications understand: if you want it to be good, do it yourself. Therefore, Sberbank Online, Tinkoff, Sberbank Business, and many other programs have built-in antiviruses that scan users' devices before authorization. What does it mean? And the fact that even if Google Play Protect did not cope with its task, banking applications themselves will not allow malware to access your accounts.
After all, how do most Trojans that steal money from bank accounts work? They simply scan the taps on the screen in the hope of fixing the access password that you enter for authorization in the banking application. If you use biometrics, you won't have to enter anything manually, and no Trojan horse can steal your fingerprint or facial image. However, even if your smartphone is infected with something like this, banking antiviruses trained to search for this kind of malware will surely find them.
And since they have already thought of everything for me, why would I also need a third-party antivirus?