Kaspersky Internet Security for Android Outperforms Competition in independent testing
Woburn, MA, March 27, 2014: Kaspersky Lab’s mobile device security solution, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android, achieved the top score in an Android Malware Detection Test conducted in January 2014 by the independent organization PC Security Labs (PCSL). Kaspersky Lab’s product blocked 99.9 percent of threats, while the average result for competitor solutions was 86.6 percent.
According to Gartner, in 2013, 78.4 percent of smartphones used the Android operating system, showing that Android is the most popular operating system for mobile devices. The downside to the platform’s popularity is that it attracts cybercriminals; it was the target of 98 percent of all mobile malware programs detected by Kaspersky Lab in 2013. Many of these malicious programs are specifically designed to steal consumer’s money by sending text messages to premium-rate numbers, hijacking electronic account details, and transferring money to cybercriminals. This situation is further complicated because more than half of mobile device owners neglect to install a security solution, according to a survey conducted jointly by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab in 2013.
To determine which security solutions best protect Android devices, PCSL tested 12 products from different vendors. They were tested against a selection of over 2,200 malware samples. Kaspersky Internet Security for Android detected 99.909 percent of threats with no false positives. This was the best test result, matched by only one other solution.
Kaspersky Lab develops security solutions to protect Android devices and help better safeguard devices running other operating systems. In October 2013, the company released its free Kaspersky Safe Browser for the iOS operating system. This application safeguards users of Apple mobile devices from Web pages with malicious and undesired content while browsing the Web. In February 2014, Kaspersky Lab also released a version of this program for Microsoft Windows smartphones.
Director of Anti-Malware Research Kaspersky Lab Oleg Ishanov said, “As consumers keep increasing the amounts of confidential information stored on their mobile devices, protection for smartphones and tablets is now essential. This is especially relevant to owners of Android devices – this platform is so popular that it has become the top target for cybercriminals. As PCSL’s testing has shown, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android provides reliable protection against malicious applications, many of which can inflict tangible damage to the user, including financial losses.”