Windows Phone 7 gets its first antivirus scanner

By Tom Warren, on 7th Sep 11 6:54 am with 25 Comments

AVG Windows Phone 7 scanner

Windows Phone 7 users can now install the first antivirus scanner for the platform.

AVG announced this week their new Windows Phone 7 application. The application provides a virus scanner to scan music and images on Windows Phone devices. WPCentral reports that the scan is quick and the application can update and download new antivirus definitions. AVG has also included a safe search and web surfing tool to prevent Windows Phone users from hitting a malicious site.

Despite the release, there’s currently no known Windows Phone viruses in the wild. Rafael Rivera points out that the application merely displays adverts and scans for EICAR test strings and the word עברית (Hebrew). The app is a port from an existing Android AVG antivirus scanner.

The application is available immediately at no cost from the Windows Phone marketplace.

  • Дмитрий Янченко

    What the reason? I see one way how it can be used: eat battery fast.

    • Anonymous

      it doesn’t run in the background so it doesn’t eat battery.

      The scan is useless, Safe Search and Safe Surf could be useful against phishing

  • http://www.facebook.com/ManGastaS Helio Gastao

    WTF…

    • http://www.winrumors.com Tom W

      Huh? Got a screenshot or is that a joke :) ?

    • http://www.facebook.com/ManGastaS Helio Gastao

      Joke :)

    • Anonymous

      That reminds me of Alan Rickman’s answering machine. 

  • Anonymous

    Yeah, this is pointless. WP7 doesn’t have any known vulnerabilities. Just AVG trying to spread FUD because of the Windows name.

    • http://www.creepinjesus.net CreepinJesus

      It scans saved files (photos, music, etc.) for viruses and other things that could have been copied with the file from a PC, and eventually back onto the same or another PC.  Granted, these viruses won’t do anything on the phone itself, but they could be nasty if copied to a PC.
      Still, it’s AVG, so expect your phone to crash a lot.

    • http://twitter.com/Fire_Six Sriram Sarma

      Wouldnt the AV on the PC scan the files when transferred from WP7? Its like flu shots for frozen foods so that when we consume the food, we are not affected by the cold… if that makes sense!!! Bah… what a waste of time!

    • http://www.creepinjesus.net CreepinJesus

      Yes it would.  I guess AVG are aiming for emails and downloads… but what email server doesn’t have built-in virus scanning these days?

    • Anonymous

      Actually, the app cannot scan any photos nor music. The app does not have access to the windows phone filesystem (only isolated storage of the app itself). Apps can open photos via api (which will give the image, not the virus, even if it had one). Music on the phone is out of reach of the app (APIs allow to playback a file but not get access to the music file itself). Therefore, this App basically does nothing!

  • http://www.facebook.com/lordadamwalker Adam The-Bicep Walker

    This is the worst possible thing that could happen. We need to be inspiring people to use the platform, not scaring them away.

  • Nameless

    AVG? muhahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

  • http://twitter.com/s_a_r_k_i_s sarkis chamelian

    Microsoft should just ban this from the Marketplace…..seriously WTF !

    • Anonymous

      If they did that, some would say that MS isn’t concerned about safety. It’s a regular criticism of Apple and iOS. People have been screaming that Apple’s refusal to allow AV on iOS, shows they don’t care about security. MS has said similar things about Apple. MS have no choice but to allow AV…

  • Cookie monster

    It’s got ads, which is funny because there are lots of scammers on the internet who trick surfers to visit their website for revenue but no content, and that’s exactly what AVG is in the business of preventing. Still it might auto-remove cookies and there may be ways of getting around the ads, like paying etc.

  • http://josedmorales.net Josè Daniel

    Well, I don’t know any current threatware for WP7 and since it doesn’t do that much then, I only can consider this app as a really bad image for WP; the last thing we users want is people thinking WP gets viruses #Ugh

    • Guest

      Any chance you could use an even smaller font so that your comments would be totally unreadable?

    • Magic Mofo

      It is nice and bold though :D

    • http://josedmorales.net Josè Daniel

      LOL Sorry, for some reason the size tag didn’t go through

  • Delta470

    If the person can’t download and install Microsoft Security Essentials which is free then they need to stop using all technology and move to any remote island in the south pacific.    This app is a waste of time for the WP7 especially since there is no known virus out there for a WP7.   I think it’s just AVG showing they can port the app and try to generate the hysteria that there is virus’ for a WP7

  • http://twitter.com/laserfloyd Lewis McCrary

    So they’ll removed completely awesome apps from marketplace and then allow this one?  I think it’s bad for the image.  Wait till a tech blog picks this up.

    Headline: Windows Phone 7 is secure? Guess again!

    =/

  • can

    i think avg is a load of crap and on my pc it wouldnt delete till advanced system care forced deleted it and to me the only virus on wp7 is avg and it is crapware

  • Anonymous

    That’s the same scanner I’m using on my beautiful Android.

  • http://twitter.com/PeterKremzar Peter Kremzar