Kaspersky has rolled out new enhancements to its mobile security product line, adding a new Web-based control center through which users can access a variety of features for their Android devices.
Kaspersky Mobile Security's new features enable users to manage the interface from any computer to remotely lock their device, wipe sensitive information, review logs of recent activities and even remotely locate their missing phone using GPS, GSM or Wi-Fi, and Google Maps.
"We include core anti-malware capabilities, antitheft capabilities and additional data protection capabilities," said Peter Beardmore, senior director of product marketing at Kaspersky. "But, the most substantial improvement on this particular release is the new Web portal. Previously most of the antitheft and anti-loss recovery features were driven by SMS, and you can still use that. However, we recognize that not all Android devices are SMS enabled. So, there needed to be another method for facilitating this capability."
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The platform also has an interesting new feature called "Mugshot," which can literally take a picture of the individual in possession of a user's missing smartphone.
"When the front screen is enabled, that will trigger the front-facing camera on the device and send that photograph back to the Web portal to the original owner of the device," explained Beardmore. "The feature can also take a photo of the surroundings in the event that the device has merely been misplaced."
Beardmore cited market research indicating that nearly 20 percent of all smartphone owners will at some point lose their device, either through theft or accidental loss. "The information on the phone is typically valuable to the user, plus the cost of the devices typically increases with each rev," he said. "So our objective is to provide the user with peace of mind on both counts. To that end, we also provide connection to an online threat database, automatic scanning of downloaded applications, and general antivirus scans that can be configured to run automatically or manually."
Kaspersky Mobile Security supports versions OS 2.2-4.x on the Android operating system. A one year license is available for $19.95 at the Kaspersky Lab e-store, on Google Play and also through channel partners.
PUBLISHED OCT. 2, 2012
