Beta this! Android security software from BitDefender and ESET

The more popular and sophisticated a smartphone becomes, the more susceptible it is to malware, fraud and other personal attacks. Android is no exception, and two respected security vendors have dipped their toes in the market with two new betas offering protection for Android-based devices.

Both BitDefender Mobile Security and ESET Mobile Security are currently available for free testing as public betas through the Android marketplace. Both currently offer anti-malware protection and a Security Audit tool, which allows the user to quickly see what permissions have been granted to applications, making it possible to quickly highlight potential privacy concerns.

At the present time, ESET offers by far more protection features, with additional anti-phishing, anti-theft and anti-spam controls already in place to accompany its anti-malware protection and security audit tools.

Anti-theft controls include the ability to remotely block the use of the phone and even wipe all data if it's lost or stolen, while a further layer of security allows the user to mark SIM cards as trusted, ensuring that if the card is replaced the phone becomes non-functional. Anti-spam measures make it possible to block text messages from unknown numbers, helping to thwart SMS-based spam, while ESET also makes it possible to block both incoming and outgoing phone calls as a parental control measure.

BitDefender Mobile Security appears to be a little way back in its development: at present, it offers two types of scans: an automatic one that checks whenever an application is installed, and an on-demand scan that is restricted to installed apps only. Rather than utilize definition updates, BitDefender uses cloud-based signatures, which means an Internet connection is required for the scan to take place.

BitDefender plans to extend the malware scan to SD cards and other storage areas, plus implement anti-spam and anti-phishing controls. However, these are very much future plans, according to its project website.

Both ESET Mobile Security and BitDefender Mobile Security are free to download and use on Android devices during the beta period. Once both products hit final release, they may diverge. ESET looks likely to be offered as a commercial product, while BitDefender told us in an email that it's still debating whether or not to make the entire product free or, as seems likely at this juncture, to give away a basic subset of features while charging for more fully rounded protection. This would allow it to compete with both free anti-malware products on the one hand, and ESET on the other.