avast! Free Mobile Security: the best Android protection you can’t buy
Free, full- featured suite provides ‘stealth’ and remote-access features
PRAGUE, Czech Republic: nAVAST Software, the world’s largest provider of antivirus software, will give Android owners an array of “stealth” and remote-access features in the new avast! Free Mobile Security- and it is completely free.
“When a smartphone is stolen, the owner’s number one desire is to get their device back intact and, secondly, to secure their private data,” said Ondrej Vlcek, CTO of AVAST Software. “We’ve developed our avast! Free Mobile Security with these needs in mind – and at a price everyone can afford.”
avast! Free Mobile Security answers the conflict between the current security app usage in Android phones and what users would like to have. “People think they need some sort of security app, but they are unsure of the benefits and don’t like the prices of what they see on the market,” stated Mr. Vlcek. A survey of avast! antivirus users with Android smartphones found that only 30% had some sort of antivirus app installed on their phones. However, over 60% of the same group stated that they would be interested in a free anti-theft/anti-malware app on their smartphones.
“For Android phones, our security starts with recovering the lost or stolen device intact,” explained Mr. Vlcek. “To do this, we’ve built a unique array of “stealth”, remote-access, and anti-malware features to help owners recover their lost phones and stay protected from online threats.”
1. Stealth features – The “stealth” features in avast! conceal the app’s presence from thieves and, if eventually discovered, also make it nearly impossible to delete. These features include App Disguiser where owners can choose a custom name (e.g. Pistachio Game) for their avast!, a Stealth Mode where the avast! icon is hidden in the app tray, and Self-Protection where avast! components are disguised with several self-preservation techniques.
2. Remote-access features – Android owners can direct a variety of remote actions on their lost or stolen devices via text message. Some of the six remote features unique to avast! include Remote Calling to have the stolen phone call another device, Call and Message Forwarding, and Memory Wipe, the permanent erasing of all phone data.
3. Anti-malware features - Avast! Free Mobile Security includes the well-tested avast! antivirus engine used by over 180 million registered users around the globe. The avast! WebRep cloud technology is incorporated into a Web Shield scanner that examines each loaded URL for malware, alerting users to potentially dangerous links and phishing scams.
avast! Free Mobile Security is available for downloading free at the official Android Market app store and other outlets. Additional information is available at the avast! website at http://www.avast.com/free-mobile-securit.