Web Protection Resource Usage

LMillsap

I just enabled Web Protection on my iPhone. The Web Protection dashboard has a running "You are protected" timer that I assume means it's doing its thing.

1. Exactly when is WP actually working? When Safari is closed out? When Safari is active but idle while I'm not browsing? While Safari is in the background while I'm using another app?
2. When WP is doing it's thing how much CPU is it using (ballpark estimate or range)?
3. If the phone is sleeping when not in use, is WP still running and using battery?
4. Does WP use additional internet bandwidth in order to do what it does (in addition to what Safari is using while I'm browsing) or is it just watching what Safari is bringing in? If so, how much extra does it use (ballpark estimate or range)?

Thank you.

Alexandru_BD

Hello,

When saying "resource usage", are you actually referring to battery consumption? I ask because this topic has been previously debated on the forum a couple of years ago, and following the feedback collected on these pages, significant improvements were implemented over the course of multiple app updates.

Now, in regard to how this security layer actually works, Web Protection on iOS relies on a local VPN configuration. This means that it uses a framework provided by the OS to act like a VPN, by intercepting and filtering the network traffic (this should get rid of some confusion regarding why it seems like VPN is enabled when Web Protection is on). However, this is not a traditional VPN that routes traffic through external servers for masking IP addresses. Instead, it creates a local VPN tunnel that enables Bitdefender to intercept and monitor network traffic on the device. Once enabled, the VPN profile allows Bitdefender to analyze the traffic data going in and out of your device. It checks for any potentially malicious websites, phishing attempts, and other threats by scanning the URLs before the content is loaded in your browser. Its purpose is to block malicious websites. When a URL points to a known phishing or fraudulent website, or to malicious content such as spyware or viruses, the webpage is blocked, and an alert is shown. The same thing happens when installed apps try to access malicious domains.

If you are experiencing high resource/battery consumption on the device where BMS is installed, it could be that some other installed applications or the OS itself might have a high network usage in the background (such as downloading updates overnight or when idle), causing Bitdefender to process and filter higher traffic than usual.
My recommendation would be to keep Web Protection enabled only when needed, that is only when actively browsing the internet, especially if you are accessing new and unverified websites.
Also make sure to check this article for possible causes and remediation steps, if necessary, and always ensure the app is up to date, as the updates usually fix any previous issues:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/84108/

Another thing to mention here, Mobile Security may show high usage in conjunction with background activity.
Background activity means that most of the app's battery usage happened while the app was in the background. It refers to whether apps are allowed to run in the background when you are not using them on screen, or whenever the app is not visible to you. You can disable this option so that the app doesn't run in the background, consuming resources when unnecessary. To do this, go to Settings → General → Background App Refresh and disable it for Mobile Protection. Then use your phone normally with Web Protection enabled and check the battery usage from time to time to see if there are any improvements. As far as I know, Web Protection doesn't use additional internet bandwidth.

Regards