Internet security giant Avast has been known for their security solutions and now they are going to be launching an Android app sometime in the near future and it will be available for rooted phones. Avast Android security app would features antivirus component, parental control, phone tracking and an anti-theft feature. And also Avast is working with a VPN product for both mobiles and desktops, which will allow users safe and secure access to different networks without any chance of getting hacked or data being stolen………….
Internet security giant Avast isn’t satisfied to have over 130 million users on the PC platform, it wants the Android users as well and Avast will be developing a security App aimed specifically at rooted devices. The company plans to move at least some of its threat definitions to the cloud, while introducing a personal VPN and debuting an Android app with some features only for rooted phones. Avast Chief Technical Officer Ondrej Vlcek spoke to CNET during a recent tour of the company’s virus lab about what the company had planned. Vlcek, who has been with Avast for 16 years and wrote the company’s first Windows product, said that Avast looks to leverage its community data to develop better software for businesses as well as attract even more home consumers. “In the next few months, we’ll be coming out with some extra products not included in the suite, such as online backup, password management, and identity protection,” Vlcek said. Given Android‘s skyrocketing marketshare, it’s not surprising that Avast is working on an Android security app, too. What’s interesting is that Avast is aiming specifically for users who have rooted their phones. “Rooted phones are more prone to certain kinds of attacks,” said Vlcek, “because they are more able to run a wider range of programs. We consider people with rooted phones higher-risk users, and so they need more security. Fifteen [percent] to 20 percent of Android phones are rooted, including the Nexus which comes rooted.”
He wouldn’t reveal what the root-specific features Avast is considering are, but he did mention the app’s basics. These included the company’s antivirus engine, anti-theft and phone tracking, a contacts filter, and parental locks. A backup feature has yet to be settled on, he said, “because there’s a big difference between a contacts list backup and backing up media files and apps.” The company is also considering tying its WebRep engine for search result ratings and verification to the Android app. Vlcek wouldn’t commit to a specific month for release, either, only saying that it would arrive sometime in the fourth quarter and be completely free. The most unusual feature that Avast will soon offer, however, is a personal VPN for both desktops and mobile. “It’s a bit risky for us because we don’t know how heavily people will be using it,” Vlcek said. “But because of the insecurity of open, public Wi-Fi, where somebody can copy your session cookie and log on, we had to make people safer.” The VPN solution will create a secure tunnel through which people can send data without fear of being tracked by an ISP or government, or having their computer or phone hacked. Avast has plans to compete with more feature-heavy paid security suites, too. Users will soon be able to get online backup and password management solutions from Avast. The company has licensed Mozy to provide an Avast-branded online backup option, said Vlcek, with “no real changes” to Mozy‘s license or fees.
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