- May 14, 2017 How to Scan APK Files and Check If They Have a Virus. APK Mirror is generally accepted by the Android community as being a safe place to get APK files. Another way you can prevent malware from being loaded onto your phone through APK files is by scanning them to detect viruses before installing. There are quite a few services that will help you scan an APK file before you install it on your phone.
- May 21, 2018 In the process of scanning, Malwarebytes for Android will check your phone for the presence of Trojans, viruses and other malicious programs. When the scan is completed, the Malwarebytes will report the detected viruses and in case of detection of malicious programs, offer to remove them.
Sideloading apps on an Android device is often used as a way to bypass restrictions (such as when an app is not available in your region) or get updates quicker, and sometimes it’s the only option when a desired app is not available in the Play Store for some reason.
This works well, but there are some disadvantages to doing so. For one, sideloading is not allowed on Android phones by default; you have to turn on “Allow installation from Unknown sources” in the Settings to be able to do so.
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In addition, you do not get updates automatically; you have to remember to update the app manually once an update becomes available.
A more serious disadvantage is the inherent security risk that it represents. Because the APK file is not on the Play Store, you cannot be sure that the app is as its developer intended it to be. In some cases APK files are pirated to bypass some restrictions (such as in-app purchases) or, worse yet, injected with malware that will compromise your phone’s security.
One way to prevent viruses from infecting your phone as a result of sideloading apps is by downloading APKs for trusted sources only. APK Mirror is generally accepted by the Android community as being a safe place to get APK files.
Another way you can prevent malware from being loaded onto your phone through APK files is by scanning them to detect viruses before installing. There are quite a few services that will help you scan an APK file before you install it on your phone.
Here are a few of the best ones.
1. Metadefender
Metadefender allows you to upload an APK file up to 140 MB to be scanned by multiple antivirus engines. The APK file is extracted so that all individual files in the archive are scanned in addition to the whole unextracted APK file being scanned. The following is an example of how the results of a successful scan will be displayed for a safe APK file.
2. NVISIO APK Scan
Similar to Metadefender, NVISIO APK Scan allows you to upload an APK through your web browser for scanning but without the file size limits. All you need to do is select the APK via your operating system’s file picker and click “Scan package.” After a while a scan report will be generated for your perusal. If you prefer, you can have the scan results emailed to you once the scan is complete.
3. VirusTotal
VirusTotal is another free service that works just the same as the previous two mentioned. Media player software, free download for android mobile. It analyzes your APK files and helps to detect all kinds of viruses and malware that may be present. The only downside to using this service is its file limit which maxes out at 128MB – plenty for most apps but insufficient for some games.
Wrap Up
Hopefully this article has helped you discover some useful tools to stay safe while sideloading apps on your Android device. In any case resist downloading anything off random websites or dodgy third-party app stores; try to stick to the Play Store as much as possible.
Are you tired of installing / uninstalling virus scanners on your phone? There is a worthy alternative to traditional virus scanners and it's online malware checkers. Their main pros are:
- They don't require an installation as they work from the browser of the phone
- They are free so there is no need to buy an expensive license
- They are cross functional i.e. they work on both mobile devices and desktops
- There is no need to update them: all the antivirus databases are already downloaded to the online scanner
For the review we chose 5 reliable, free and effective malware scanners for Android. They will help you to figure out whether there is a virus on your phone without downloading third party programs and also they will help you to search for the spyware or malware and delete it (put in quarantine).
A list of reviewed online virus scanners:
- Doctor Web - free online scanner and malware cleaner
- ESET Online Scanner a virus scanner which doesn't require an installation
- Web scanner online via VirusTotal
- An online virus scanner Kaspersky Online Scanner
- A one-time virus scanner VirSCAN
- AVC UnDroid which provides an online verification of apk files
ESET Scanner - online virus removal tool and malvare detector
ESET Online Scanner is an another service for malware scanning which works through browsers. It scans the files comprehensively and effectively and doesn't require an installation on your computer.
Unlike the desktop version of ESET Nod this online file scanner is free for usage. On the one hand, it makes no sense to demand a full scanner from a web application. On the other hand, according to the creators, the online virus scanner successfully copes with trojans, malware, the latest viruses, worms and phishing threats.
The user can select the files on a computer disk for scanning, specify the region of memory and etc. Moreover you don't need to have the administrator rights to run the online scanning.
At the end of the search ESET Online Scanner suggests removing the viruses it has found and placing the infected files in quarantine.
Thus, searching for viruses via the web virus scanner ESET Online Scanner makes sense:
- if you want to scan someone else's computer or phone,
- check the flash drive for malicious files online but you don't have the rights to install applications.
VirusTotal is a total online scanning of files for viruses
VirusTotal is an another one free service for online virus scanning. Details:
- It checks the code of Internet sites and the contents of files.
- VirusTotal checks any content for malware, worms, trojans and other virus threats.
- The service allows you to search for malicious links in the comments and files
- VirusTotal keeps in its database the results of the analysis.
- The search returns the stored results of the last scanning on the specified resource.
Kaspersky Online Scanner (VirusDesk)
Malware online scanner from the makers of Kaspersky Antivirus. It scans files and links on the Internet and doesn't require an installation of additional modules. When you download a file Kaspersky scans it through its database for existing threats and then shows the result. During the process it also checks md5, SHA1 and SHA256 hashes. All the databases are regularly updated.
If after the scanning a virus was detected VirusDesk reports: the file is infected or potentially dangerous.
Important! In contrast to usual virus scanners software with this one you can only scan a file for viruses, but the file won't be put in quarantine or automatically deleted. It can be done only manually.
Kaspersky Online Scanner is also suitable for an urgent scanning of a phone for viruses. You can upload files with the size no bigger than 50 MB. The batch mode isn't supported which is inconvenient if we're talking about a massive infection of files. The online scanner for Android doesn't remove viruses so the users should do it themselves.
Android Downloads Apps
VirSCAN is an online virus scanner for Android
With the service VirSCAN.org it's possible to:
- scan online your Android for viruses,
- scan online files for a malicious code.
You can send for scanning apk-apps or other files (with the size no bigger than 20MB). These can be rar and zip archives and files with password protection (you can set only 'infected' or 'virus' passwords). Baidu spark browser for android free download.
The main feature of VirSCAN online virus scanner is an extensive database of regularly updated scanners: kaspersky, avg, drweb, symantec and others. In addition to this, VirSCAN checks the MD5 and SHA1 hashes through its databases.
As the authors of this web virus scanner warn sometimes a false alarm can be triggered, which isn't surprising when taking into account such an impressive list of antivirus bases. But as experience shows it's better to be safe and put suspicious files in quarantine.
The cons of the online virus scanning are pretty obvious:
- a slow speed
- the lack of any settings
- no scanning options: it allows to download only a single file for virus scanning.
AVC UnDroid is a service for scanning apk files
Free online service AVC UnDroid is designed to search for viruses in the contents of apk files. Such engines like Buster Sandbox Analyzer, ssdeep and APKTool are used during the scanning process.
In order to scan an apk for viruses, you need to click the 'Select APK' button and download the installer file for scanning on your phone. AVC UnDroid supports the data with the size no bigger than 7 MB (which is enough for the majority of apk files). Other data types aren't supported and you can only upload one file at a time.
The uploaded files are analyzed by AVC UnDroid and then the user receives a detailed report on the scanning with such data as file hashes, security assessment and more information.
You can register as it will be more convenient. With the registration you will get an access to the statistics and comments, expand the limit on uploaded files and increase the priority of the scanning.
As stated in the terms of use, the service is experimental. The apk files you download as much as it contents can be used by the service without user's knowledge.
Online website virus scanner Dr Web
This service is intended for scanning links for safety. It works in the following way:
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- The user adds a link to a suspicious website into a text field,
- Dr Web scans the attached files on that html page,
- After examining the site code the service presents a report with the number of checked, safe and infected pages.
Usually a virus threat of online resources is hidden in its javascript files. If the scripts are contained on the database of malicious sites or the site redirects to another resource Dr Web Online will notify you.
Among the set of tools only a web anti-virus shell is available which isn't very convenient. It would be better if Dr Web Online got, let's say, an Android app for online validation or an online malware cleaner extension. Right now the online version of the virus scanner isn't suitable for full use on a phone.
Tip of the day. If you need a free and reliable virus scanner to check your computer (or your memory card/usb stick) I suggest you downloading Dr. Web CureIt curing utility. The program uses the actual database of Dr. Web desktop version. Its features contain everything you need and there is no need to download additional modules.
Doctor Web Online |
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ESET Online Scanner |
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VirusTotal |
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Kaspersky Online Scanner |
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VirSCAN |
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Conclusion. This article lists only a small part of online services for scanning files via the Internet. In addition to it, we suggest getting acquainted with our guide on [how to scan your phone for viruses].
Do you know any other ways or services that will help to detect viruses and other threats? You can share via the feedback form and we would be grateful!