The number of devices running the Android operating system is increasing with over 900\nmillion Android devices currently registered. As the Android operating system grows, security\nbecomes increasingly important. While the current Android operating system protects against\nsystem compromising viruses, it does not provide full protection against malware, adware,\nspyware and Trojan viruses. This creates issues for device security, privacy, and functionality.\nTo counter this, a number of antivirus applications have been made available to detect such\nmalicious applications that host these viruses. However, with more hackers looking to Android,\nit is essential that users have the best antivirus applications to protect their devices. In this\nstudy, fifteen applications that host malware, adware, spyware and Trojan viruses were\nprogrammed to test antivirus applications. The viruses also displayed how the harmful code can\nbe incorporated into an Android application. Additionally, a web server was programmed to\naccept data from the host applications. The efficacies of the twenty most popular antivirus\napplications were determined by introducing the viruses into the target phone through Android\napplication packages. After testing all twenty applications, it was found that Mobile Security &\nAntivirus by AVAST Software detected all fifteen harmful applications, making it the most\neffective antivirus application tested. On the other hand, the other nineteen Android antivirus\napplications detected, at most, four of the host applications. The experiment can serve to\nmaximize security on devices running Android and provide understanding of how antivirus\napplications function.
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