Mobile antivirus for business phones and tablets

Why antivirus works differently on phones

On a laptop, antivirus watches files and processes across the whole system. Phones are built differently, and the difference matters when you buy:

• iPhone and iPad: iOS runs each app in its own sandbox and does not let one app inspect another app's files. A security app on an iPhone therefore cannot scan the device the way desktop antivirus does. Instead it protects against the threats that do reach iPhones: phishing links in texts, email, messaging apps and QR codes, risky or malicious Wi-Fi networks, out-of-date operating systems and jailbroken devices.
• Android: Android allows security apps to check installed apps, so Android products add malicious and risky app detection to the same link, network and device protections.

ThreatDown's own feature list illustrates the split: antivirus, anti-malware and malicious app protection are listed for Android but not iOS, while on iOS the listed protections include safe web browsing and ad and ad tracker blocking. Other vendors show a similar pattern.

This is why the category is usually known as mobile threat defence rather than mobile antivirus. Whatever the name, the aim is the same: stop a phone becoming the way into your business. Our licensing site compares mobile security software across vendors if you want the licensing view.

What business mobile protection covers

The products we supply cover broadly the same four areas, with differences in depth:

• Phishing and malicious links: links arriving by SMS, email, messaging apps, browsers and QR codes checked and blocked. On phones this is usually the most important protection, because small screens make fake sign-in pages harder to spot.
• Apps: malicious and risky apps detected (fully on Android, less so on iOS) and, on some products, apps from untrusted sources blocked.
• Networks: man-in-the-middle attacks and malicious Wi-Fi detected, and on some products risky connections blocked.
• Device risk: jailbroken or rooted devices, out-of-date operating systems with known vulnerabilities and weak settings flagged.

The most useful feature for a business is often the link to your device management. When the security app decides a device is at risk, it tells your mobile device management (MDM) tool, which can then block that device from email and company apps until the problem is fixed. That turns a warning into an access decision.

Mobile protection options we supply

For more depth on individual products, our specialist sites cover Check Point Harmony Mobile, Sophos Mobile and Lookout mobile security.

Company phones, personal phones and privacy

Many organisations let staff use personal phones for email and Teams. Mobile protection can cover those too, but privacy has to be handled properly:

• Company-owned devices are usually enrolled in MDM, with the security app pushed silently and settings locked.
• Personal (BYOD) devices usually have the app installed by the user, often with a work profile on Android to keep business data separate.
• Privacy: vendors design these apps to assess risk rather than read personal content. CrowdStrike, for example, states that Falcon for Mobile does not read personal texts, emails or photos. Tell staff what is and is not collected before you roll out, and record it in your BYOD policy.

The licence model matters here. Per-user products (Sophos, Check Point Harmony Mobile, Worry-Free) cover a person's phone and tablet with one licence; per-device products (CrowdStrike, ThreatDown, Trend Micro Mobile Security, WatchGuard) count each one. If staff carry two devices, per user can be simpler.

Do iPhones need antivirus?

iPhones do not need traditional antivirus, and cannot run it in the desktop sense. What they do need, in a business, is protection against the attacks that work on iPhones: phishing, malicious networks, devices running an out-of-date iOS and jailbroken devices that bypass Apple's controls.

For a small business with a handful of company iPhones, the minimum is good MDM: keep iOS updated, require a passcode, encrypt by default and be able to wipe a lost phone. Mobile threat protection becomes worthwhile when phones handle sensitive data, approve sign-ins, or include personal devices you do not fully control. Cyber Essentials also treats phones and tablets that access organisational data as in scope; see BYOD and home working on our sister site.

Choosing a mobile option

Criteria that help you narrow the list:

• Use what you already have: if your laptops run CrowdStrike, ThreatDown, Sophos, Check Point, Trend Micro, Bitdefender or WatchGuard, adding that vendor's mobile option keeps alerts in one console.
• MDM integration: check the product can share risk with your MDM, such as Microsoft Intune, so risky devices lose access automatically.
• Personal devices: if BYOD is in scope, check privacy controls and how the app is installed without full device enrolment.
• Licence unit: per user if people have a phone and a tablet, per device otherwise.
• Detection and response: some vendors (Lookout, CrowdStrike) also offer mobile detection and investigation; for the wider topic see EDR, XDR and MDR guidance on endpointsecurity.uk.

Laptops and desktops are covered on our business antivirus and Mac antivirus pages.

Rolling out mobile protection

Mobile rollouts go smoothly when they are planned around how people actually use their phones:

1. List company-owned and personal devices that access email, files or business apps, and which MDM (if any) manages them.
2. Choose the product and licence unit, and check it integrates with your MDM for risk-based access.
3. Write a short note for staff explaining what the app checks and what it does not collect.
4. Push the app to company devices through MDM, and send personal device users a simple install guide.
5. Start in a monitoring mode for a pilot group, then turn on blocking of phishing links and risky networks.
6. Connect device risk to access rules so an at-risk device loses access to company data until it is fixed.

Phones are also a common target for social engineering by text message and QR code, so pair the technology with staff awareness; security-awareness-training.co.uk covers QR code phishing awareness and other mobile-related topics.

How we help

Forever Systems supplies the mobile protection options above and can fit them to the devices and MDM you already have. We can:

• review how phones and tablets reach your email and data today
• recommend options that match your endpoint vendor and MDM
• set out per-user and per-device licence options in one quote
• help plan the rollout to company and personal devices

Contact us with the number of phones and tablets you need to cover, and ask us for a quote.