Mr Alex Tan, M1’s chief innovation officer, said it provides “always on” malware protection at the network level.
Most mobile phone users depend on an anti-malware app that they download, install, update malware/virus signature and run on a regular basis. So basically, if you do not do this with your phone, your phone is at risk of infection.
For security reasons, you have to run it on a regular basis. It may take you a while to find the malware, and by that time, it might have been on your phone long enough to have caused you damage or have stolen data already.
According to the latest Nokia Threat Intelligence Report, an average of 1 per cent of more than 100 million Web-connected devices worldwide were infected monthly last year. Most of the infected mobile devices were Android smartphones.
M1’s Mobile Guard service takes the hassle out of users’ hands by monitoring threats at the network level so users need not activate the anti-malware app until a threat is found.
They charge $2 a month for an “always on” malware protection at the network level which is an industry first. Powered by Nokia’s NetGuard anti-malware solution, Mobile Guard actively checks devices connected to M1’s mobile network for signs of infection, and immediately sends out a notification to the mobile user by SMS or e-mail detailing where the threat lies.
Affected customers can download a Trend Micro app, provided free as part of the service, to remove the malware. Customers will get a Web link, where they can download the app and license key for use on one mobile device.
Unfortunately the Trend Micro App does not work on iPhones. The only way to clean it up is to do a factory reset and manually delete the infected app that contains the malware.
This technology is currently available in Singapore’s M1 Mobile services. Hopefully this technology will soon be available world-wide.
