Product features and Ideation
Product features and Ideation
System Scanner/File Scanner
Could you guys add a System Scanner or File Scanner to Bitdefender Mobile Security or Bitdefender on mobile.
Comments
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This would help me and other mobile users of bitdefender to detect malware much earlier.
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Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android does not include a system scan feature because it cannot remove malicious system apps (if any) due to Android's security architecture. Such scans would inefficiently consume resources without actionable benefits. Additionally, if a device were rooted to allow removal of system files, this could potentially destabilize the operating system and render the device unbootable. Furthermore, rooting itself introduces additional security vulnerabilities that could compromise device safety, making the implementation of system scanning counterproductive from both practical and security perspectives.
Regarding the custom file/folder scan, @agozob can provide more information.
Regards
Life happens, Coffee helps!
Show your Attitude, when you reach that Altitude!
Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus (user)
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Granted it's the way Bitdefender is designed, but some mobile apps (2 that I know of) do allow for a on-demand, scan now option. I guess maybe it's just a way for a user to feel like they have a little control like that once in awhile? Not saying Bitdefender should, but in a way I get @Smile's post :)
All Bitdefender Home Product User Guides: https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/user-guides/
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With this scan the user could still know that there is malware in the system files and since the AV cannot eliminate it, the user can decide to format the smartphone. So at least he is not still being spied on, providing his data to who knows what server, etc...
Nunzio ·
Bitdefender Plus, Windows 10 Pro-32 Bit, CPU Intel Core2 Duo T7500, RAM 4 Gb - Bitdefender Mobile Security
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Even after formatting the Android device, it will still retain the default apps on the device.
Regards
Life happens, Coffee helps!
Show your Attitude, when you reach that Altitude!
Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus (user)
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@Smile when you mentioned File Scanner, were you concerned in this regard?
So, Bitdefender Mobile Security scans only the apps installed on your phone (file type: apk) and not other file types stored on your phone (file type: pdf, jpeg, doc, etc.)
It does scan those files on download, but @Flexx what if the cloud data base missed hidden or dormant malware in especially a pdf or doc. does this mean BD Mobile Security won't scan it on-access, where the data base may be more current a day or two, a week later? It may give Smile some peace of mind that if a manual, on demand scan option was not implemented, that there are no worries in that regard :)
TIA :)
All Bitdefender Home Product User Guides: https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/user-guides/
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The Android operating system can only be affected by .xapk or .apk files and not by any other file extensions.
As far as I know, on-access scanning checks files of all extensions. Suppose all files, regardless of their extension, contain malware. In that case, Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android will still only detect malware in .xapk and .apk files.
More information can be provided by @agozob
Regards
Life happens, Coffee helps!
Show your Attitude, when you reach that Altitude!
Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus (user)
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Bitdefender Mobile Security already includes a powerful malware scanner that checks your system and files for threats.
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Hello there,
@Flexx is right about how the scanner works.
We do not scan system files and we only scan APKs (on download, install and at runtime - see App Anomaly Detection 😄).
Due to heavy OS restrictions, the application sandbox and the (fortunate) lack of root access by default, data files such as PDFs are not a security threat like they are on desktop machines. System files, as stated above, cannot be removed and not even a factory reset would do the trick.
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@agozob So the other AVs that do it, do they do it just for show?
To pretend that they control the smartphone and all its files or do they not know that it is useless to do so?Nunzio ·
Bitdefender Plus, Windows 10 Pro-32 Bit, CPU Intel Core2 Duo T7500, RAM 4 Gb - Bitdefender Mobile Security
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That is correct. You may contact the support teams of various antimalware vendors, pose the same question, and potentially receive responses from their respective developers.
Regards
Life happens, Coffee helps!
Show your Attitude, when you reach that Altitude!
Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus (user)
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Hi @agozob,
if it's as you say then why when you open a PDF file received with a message on Whatsapp this message appears: "document could damage your device"?
Nunzio ·
Bitdefender Plus, Windows 10 Pro-32 Bit, CPU Intel Core2 Duo T7500, RAM 4 Gb - Bitdefender Mobile Security
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I randomly reached out to the admin of the ESET forum, and here’s what he had to say:
If a built-in app that comes preinstalled with the Android OS is found to be malicious or potentially harmful, and it can be disabled, would that reduce the risk of infection or impact on the system?
Even if the app can't be uninstalled, doesn't it make sense that disabling it would still offer some level of protection to the user?
What’s your take on this, @agozob? Does it make sense to introduce a system scan feature in Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android, based on the reason provided?
Regards
Life happens, Coffee helps!
Show your Attitude, when you reach that Altitude!
Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus (user)
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I was only asking about pre-installed apps. I know that system apps can't be disabled.
But when it comes to pre-installed apps, one needs to know whether they’re malicious or not — or am I missing something here?
Does Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android scan those pre-installed apps too?
I've noticed that some pre-installed apps can be uninstalled. But on some smartphones — like my Samsung — there were bundled apps like Netflix and Facebook that couldn't be uninstalled, only disabled.
So yeah, if an app like that comes preloaded on a smartphone and isn’t well-known, how can we tell if it’s malicious? It might trick the user into thinking it's a legitimate app, while secretly performing malicious activities in the background.
Regards
Life happens, Coffee helps!
Show your Attitude, when you reach that Altitude!
Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus (user)
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I, for one, would be amazed to see a reputable manufacturer would bundle malware with their devices. If we go that route, we could as well not trust system apps or the OS itself (as OEMs often add plenty of things on top of the "vanilla" Android). Just avoid knock-off brands and you'll be fine :) Personally, I wouldn't worry about any system or preloaded apps being infected.
Now, about BMS scanning the preinstalled apps - I honestly am not sure, but I suppose it depends on the device (e.g. what storage path was used by the manufacturer). You can try contacting the support team for a definitive answer.
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@Nunzio77 the technical details of the article seem very speculative to me. Also, the kind of attack described there would only makes sense for high profile targets, so the average person has no reason to worry about such things.
Assuming such an attack were to happen, the attachment would most definitely be unaccessible to 3rd party apps (incl. anti-malware), since it would be stored in the private directory of the messaging app (e.g. WhatsApp).
The article describes an in-memory attack which is not reboot persistent, so restarting the device would stop it. In my experience, even the most advanced persistent Android threats install as an APKs.
So my takeaway is:
- advanced threats don't target everyday users
- a hypothetical in-memory attack doesn't persist at device reboot
- if you're suspicious that you could ever be the victim of such an attack, reboot your device once a day for peace of mind (some devices even allow for a scheduled reboot during the night) and avoid opening attachments from unknown senders
- in case of persistent threats, you are covered by the APK scan engine
- I hold my opinion that it's not worth the trouble of scanning anything other than apps on Android
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