Android Security Applications

Introduction To Android Security Applications

The following article provides an outline for Android Security Applications. Android phone usage has been increasing over the years and so is the usage of the internet. With that security issues with the users have also increased. With every click of websites or applications, there might be some malware, virus which might hamper or get the personal information of the user to the hackers. Thus android security is one of the important concerns that need to be addressed properly by android users.

Android Security Threats

Android is been designed as a permission-based system that manages and controls third-party apps. The third-party apps may cause threats to users in some cases as they may ask permission for access to personal data.

Some of the threats which are bound to occur are:

• Information Leakage: As soon as an application is installed, some permissions need to be provided to the application for its working on smartphones. Due to this some of the personal information will be leaked to them. 
• Privilege Escalation: It is utilized by taking advantage of Android Kernel vulnerabilities to attain major access to resources that are usually protected by apps. Such activities can be a source of many sensitive information leaks. 
• Repacking Apps: It is done by reverse engineering applications and disassemble the apk file and insert malicious code. After insertion, the app will be repacked and given to users which is difficult to differentiate between original and fake. 
• Colluding: This is usually occurring from the user side. Users activate applications having similar certificates and grant many permissions. The applications then have access to all other applications because of shared UID.

Solutions For The Threats

Android security systems are of 2 types.

• Static: They are fast but need to check the outcomes sensibly. 
• Dynamic: They are time-consuming but useful to get complete protection from threats.

Some of the android solutions are:

1. Crowdroid: It uses a behavior-based malware detection system. It uses 2 mechanisms i.e., a crowdsourcing application that is deployed on user devices and malware detection which is in a remote server.

2. AndroSimilar: It uses a similarity digest hashing mechanism that detects the complicated code malware. This can be used in countering repacked apps.

3. Firedroid: It is a policy-based android solution. It monitors and tracks the policies and helps to accept or reject them. At runtime, it identifies whether the app is legitimate or not and thus avoids the potential threats by interrupting the system.

4. Droidscope: It is a VMI (virtual machine introspection) used for a dynamic analysis framework.

5. RiskRanker: It is used to recognize malicious apps. It accesses the security risks caused by unauthorized applications.

Android Security Applications

Some of the good security applications for android are below:

• Bitwarden password manager: It’s mainly used for storing passwords. This app encrypts the password and keeps it safe from hackers accessing it. It also helps in creating a strong password and sync it in devices.
• Bouncer: It is used for managing the permissions. The permissions can be set temporarily and thus avoid the 3rd party apps to track users continuously.
• Find my device: It is developed by Google. It helps to track the location of the user’s mobile phone if it is lost or theft. With the user’s Google account, can track the phone and know where exactly it is. It also helps to erase the data and thus avoid unauthorized people from accessing the data.
• ResilioSync: It helps to create the user’s own cloud storage. Information can be stored in the cloud and can restore as and when required. It works the same as dropbox or Google drive.

Android Security Tips

Given below are the android security tips:

• Note down the IMEI number as it comes in handy if it’s stolen.
• Keep SIM lock feature to avoid unauthorized usage.
• When discarding the mobile phone, make sure to erase every single piece of information.
• Have a strong password for the phone and sensitive information like a bank account, media, etc.
• Make sure to view the permissions which are given to the app. The common permission which users usually will have to provide are media, location, contacts, and camera.
• Avoid rooting of the phone as it gives much access for the hackers to get information and also may cause the phone to damage.
• Avoid as many 3rd party apps as possible.
• Before giving contact details make sure whether the app has 2 step authentications for better security.
• Back up the phone regularly.
• Avoid unauthorized Wi-fi networks.

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to Android Security Applications. Here we discuss the threats in android security, solutions for the threats, security applications along with security tips. You can also go through our other suggested articles to learn more –

1. Android Developers for Beginners
2. Android Marshmallow Features
3. Android Architecture
4. Rooting Android Devices