Looking for an app to protect your mobile device? Check this list out

SINGAPORE – If you are looking for apps to protect your mobile devices from cyber criminals, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) has on Jan 20 released an updated list of six recommended security applications.

The six apps are:

Android

iOS

The latest list features fewer apps than the inaugural list published in

September 2023

, which had seven apps each for Android and iOS, with two new criteria in its latest review: network detection and device integrity checks.

The first focuses on the app’s ability to detect and alert users to common network-based attacks, such as the stripping and decrypting of Secure Sockets Layers (SSL), which encrypts information sent between a web server and a user, such that anyone who intercepts it would see a garbled mix of characters.

For example, encrypted websites can carry the “https” prefix in their web addresses, while those that are not start with “http”.

The device integrity checks assess if the security app can detect device settings that put user security at risk, such as by rooting devices for those on Android, or jailbreaking for those on iOS.

CSA also took into account if the security apps can detect the absence of authentication measures, such as fingerprint scanning, on mobile devices.

These are in addition to testing the apps for how well they detect malware and phishing attempts, which were used in coming up with the earlier list.

However, CSA said the iOS apps were not tested for their ability to check for malware in other apps on an Apple device. This is due to iOS’ security architecture, which makes it impossible to do so.

The latest tests reference those used by independent antivirus testers, CSA said.

For such security apps to be effective, CSA said they are required to score 50 per cent or more in detecting malware and phishing attacks. Meanwhile, they were required to pass in either network detection or device integrity checks.

The agency said it evaluated 18 apps across both the Android and the Apple iOS platforms before coming up with the updated list.

The expanded testing criteria ensure that security apps can protect users against “rapidly evolving malware and phishing attacks”, said CSA deputy chief executive Chua Kuan Seah.

“Cyber criminals are constantly devising new tactics to trick us and this is why installing security apps continues to be important,” he added.

Malware and phishing scams have been an increasingly popular tactic for grifters.

Since December 2024, there have been

at least 82 reported cases of malware scams

, with total losses amounting to about $625,000.

Meanwhile, there had been at least 17 phishing cases, with scammers pretending to be

associated with the Land Transport Authority

to con at least $33,000 out of victims.