Article by George Norman

On 21 Sep 2011

McAfee, company that specializes in providing security software solutions for home and business users, has recently rolled out a security solution for the Google-developed Android operating system. Called App Alert and currently in Beta, the security solution can protect Android-powered smartphones as well as Android-powered tablets.

When the app launches, it scans the apps the user installed and informs him if the apps have access to personal data (contacts, message content, calendar, photos, and so on), if the apps use hardware sensors (microphone, camera, location mechanisms), if the apps can intercept various events, (calls, messages, key presses, and so on), and if the apps can transmit data to or from the device and what type of data connection they use.


Once the app’s done with scanning the device, it assigns a graphical privacy access rating for each app reports access level detail; it uses a proprietary formula developed by McAfee. Based on that report you can then decide if you want to uninstall an app that seems shady or trust an app if you know it’s legit.

As Director of Product Marketing at McAfee, Lianne Caetano, put it, App Alert Beta helps users figure out if an app they installed is misbehaving. “McAfee App Alert secures and preserves your privacy by providing intelligence about the apps on your Android device. Apps are individually analyzed and graded to show you how they are able to access, store, and transmit your personal data,” explained Caetano.

If you would like to get App Alert Beta, you can grab it free of charge from the Android Market here. It works with smartphones and tablets powered by Android 2.1 through 3.0.

In related Android security news, ESET announced back in August that its ESET Mobile Security for Android app moved from Beta to Release Candidate (RC) and Trend Micro announced earlier this month that Trend Micro Mobile Security Personal Edition has been released to the public.



Tags: Android, Security, McAfee, App Alert, Android Market, ESET, ESET Mobile Security for Android, Trend Micro, Trend Micro Mobile Security Personal Edition

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