Depends which websites you're browsing :wink: On a factual basis Lookout is good on Android and free for the basic version.....it's a green shield which scans all apps and can be used to find your device etc
I get Kaspersky mobile/tablet and PC with my online banking (barclays) all free never had any issues on any device using this
I'd say for AV and Malware, read a report last week that android has the lions share of AV/Malware threats a staggering 96.5% of the entire mobile OS market.
And always question the sources motives. 99% comes from companys trying to convince you to spend money - scare tactics lol
Hackers and Cyber crims will always target the platform which has most users - greater return on their efforts. As Android has somewhere around 80% of the market share for mobile devices, and that figure is growing daily, then it's not surprising that Android is being targeted so heavily. Apple users shouldn't buy in to all the Apple hype though about being more secure. It's just not true. It's just that there are less threats for that platform. If you are running a fairly new tablet or phone, it should have enough computing power to run one of the free AV packages without denting performance. It seems silly not to if it's free and you don't even know it's there. I run AVG on my phone and tablet, and we have it installed on all our phones and tablets at home. We just don't notice that it's there. My personal and work email is targeted around 3 times per day. I regularly receive dodgy emails. The rule is don't open any ZIP attachments.
Rooted is when you break in to the pre-installed OS and overwrite it with a custom one from someone such as Cyanogenmod. In the old days (up to about 2 years ago) it was fairly common amongst those with a technical bent. The advantage was that you would remove a lot of the bloatware which comes pre-installed by the manufacturer or the carrier. The downside is that you may not automatically receive updates to the OS and you may even invalidate the warranty. I don't bother rooting any more as out of the box devices seem pretty good these days.
Android rooting is the process of allowing users of smartphones, tablets, and other devices running the Android mobile operating system to attain privileged control (known as "root access") within Android's sub-system.
Apple Apps are only available through their App Store. To get on the App Store, Apple have to approve your app and they vet your code. It can be annoying, as they are the gatekeepers and if they don't like your thing, it's tough. In the open Android world, you have no gatekeepers so anyone can produce an app (could be a game) and fill it with malware. Who's going to know or root it out? In the Apple world you trade off some freedom for some extra security. Whether or not you think this a reasonable trade-off depends from one person to another. Personally, I think it is. Maybe it's a bit like leaving your house unlocked. It's more convenient not having to bother about locks and keys, but don't be surprised if someone waltzes in and nicks everything. That's not to say they won't if your house is locked, just that it's less likely.
No need to bother with antivirus software on Android, or anything other than Windows, really. Virus software is a big industry in itself, they've a vested interest in making people believe there's a threat, and what you and I would call 'scare-mongering' is, to them, just 'marketing'.
Of course apple do that to primarily squeeze everyone for every penny they can. If it matters that much a simple free AV program will suffice.
The vast majority of viruses and security threats do not come from dodgy apps, but from internet browsing (mostly ads) and emails, something that we all do.
