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One of the benefits of the Android platform is its openness, but a new report suggests that this may be one of the operating system's downfalls.

While there are many apps in the Google Play store that cannot be found on competitors' stores like the Apple App Store, this is due to more lax rules on what can be published there.

As a result, a new study conducted by Austrian company AV-Comparatives suggests that the marketplace may have been flooded by antivirus software that doesn't serve its purpose, potentially leaving millions of devices (and data) at risk.

The company tested 250 purported antivirus programs from the Play Store with 2000 of the most common malware threats identified in 2018.

Of these, 138 were unable to detect more than 30% of them - leaving 1400 potential threats remaining on devices.

The study said: “Some of the Android security products in our test blocked so few of the malware samples – in some cases literally none – that they cannot reasonably be described as anti-malware apps”.

This is in stark contrast to the ratings on the app store from customers, many of the apps reaching a coveted four-star rating or higher.

AV-Comparatives advised how users should choose how to pick an effective antivirus app, writing:

“When it comes to choosing an Android security app, we recommend considering the following factors.

“Using user ratings is clearly not effective, as the vast majority of users will give their rating based solely on the user experience, without having any idea as to whether the app offers effective protection. Some other reviews will have been faked by developers.

“Most of the 250 apps we looked at had a review score of 4 or higher on the Google Play Store. Similarly, the number of downloads can only be a very rough guide; a successful scam app may be downloaded many times before it is found to be a scam.

Their statement continues “A recent ‘last updated’ date also does not seem to be a good quality indicator, as many low-scoring apps had relatively recent updates.”

It wasn't all that bad though, as Android and Google Play users had some positive news from the study.

Advising how to choose an effective antivirus app, AV-Comparatives said: “When it comes to choosing an Android security app, we recommend considering the following factors.

“Using user ratings is clearly not effective, as the vast majority of users will give their rating based solely on the user experience, without having any idea as to whether the app offers effective protection. Some other reviews will have been faked by developers.

“Most of the 250 apps we looked at had a review score of 4 or higher on the Google Play Store. Similarly, the number of downloads can only be a very rough guide; a successful scam app may be downloaded many times before it is found to be a scam.

“A recent ‘last updated’ date also does not seem to be a good quality indicator, as many low-scoring apps had relatively recent updates.”

The following apps managed to score a 100% malware detection rate - that's 2000 threats detected:

AhnLab, Antiy, Avast, AVG, AVIRA, Bitdefender, BullGuard, Chili Security, Emsisoft, ESET, ESTSoft, F-Secure, G Data, Kaspersky Lab, McAfee, PSafe, Sophos, STOPzilla, Symantec, Tencent, Total Defense, Trend Micro and Trustwave.

If you're using one of these, then with any luck, your device is secure!

It could also be worth looking into alternatives and AV-Comparatives have offered some advice on where to look.

“Because of this, we recommend using only apps of well-known, verified and reputable vendors.

“As well as participating in tests by independent test institutes, such vendors will have a professional website with contact information and privacy policy. It should also be possible to try the app – typically a few weeks’ trial use is allowed – before purchasing.

“Users can then assess the usability and any additional features of the product.

“A number of vendors make very effective free versions of their apps; generally these are more likely to display advertising than the paid version, though this is not always the case.”