Can I use pc to scan android?

[6spdYJ]

I'm wondering if I can use my PC to run it's antivirus/malware stuff on an android phone. I have the option to select which drive to scan, so when I'm charging it with the USB, could I just select that as the drive to scan without messing up the phone?

[Materdaddy]

That will likely only check the phone for windows viruses, not android viruses. I'm pretty sure most anti-virus software tries searching USB drives since a lot of trojan horse viruses use USB drives to spread and it probably can't hurt.

If you're trying to scan the phone for potential android viruses/malware, you'll probably have to look at a specific solution for that.

Disclaimer: I'm a linux user, I don't deal with viruses, so I'm not an expert in this realm.

[inVERt'D]

Disclaimer: I'm a linux user, I don't deal with viruses, so I'm not an expert in this realm.

Oh please

I use and develop in Linux too, and while I've never had a Linux virus, they do exist. No OS is virus-proof. If it can be made, it can be unmade.

Otherwise, he wouldn't need to scan Android for malware. As I'm sure you know, Android, like iOS, OSx and a number of others, is built on a Linux kernel (translation: it's based on Linux).

Ted, like the man said, it would require a purpose-built utility to meaningfully scan an Android device for viruses/ malware using Windows. For starters, Windows cannot natively read the Android OS's file formats (since Gingerbread this has been ext4; previously YAFFS). Secondly, the OS system commands are completely different, as is the CPU architecture (ARM), so while a viruses could be conceptually and functionally similar to those in Windows, the implementation and machine code (and therefore the "fingerprints") would be different.

That said, you can run Android in a Windows program called VirtualBox by Oracle, and it should be possible (but not necessarily straightforward) to scan your Droid or whatever using an Android virus scanner from your Virtual Box Android environment. This is not something I would suggest for someone who isn't a programmer or otherwise relatively sophisticated user.

[6spdYJ]

I'll take that as a no. Thanks guys! My head's spinning...

[inVERt'D]

I'll take that as a no. Thanks guys! My head's spinning...

Sorry. Don't take that as a no, take it as we don't know of any real straightforward way for a nontechnical user. That doesn't mean such a way doesn't exist.

[Materdaddy]

Oh please

I use and develop in Linux too, and while I've never had a Linux virus, they do exist. No OS is virus-proof. If it can be made, it can be unmade.

Otherwise, he wouldn't need to scan Android for malware. As I'm sure you know, Android, like iOS, OSx and a number of others, is built on a Linux kernel (translation: it's based on Linux).

Ted, like the man said, it would require a purpose-built utility to meaningfully scan an Android device for viruses/ malware using Windows. For starters, Windows cannot natively read the Android OS's file formats (since Gingerbread this has been ext4; previously YAFFS). Secondly, the OS system commands are completely different, as is the CPU architecture (ARM), so while a viruses could be conceptually and functionally similar to those in Windows, the implementation and machine code (and therefore the "fingerprints") would be different.

That said, you can run Android in a Windows program called VirtualBox by Oracle, and it should be possible (but not necessarily straightforward) to scan your Droid or whatever using an Android virus scanner from your Virtual Box Android environment. This is not something I would suggest for someone who isn't a programmer or otherwise relatively sophisticated user.

I'll say it again for those that are hard of hearing: "I'm a linux user, I don't deal with viruses, so I'm not an expert in this realm." :devil:

David, don't get your panties in a wad, hear me out while we're off topic here... Sure you can split hairs and say there viruses for linux too, but they're (a) few and far between; (b) usually target things like apache, poorly written PHP code running on apache, SSH vulnerabilities, etc.; and (c) at the end of the day, any system is only as secure as it's user and configuration. The fact is that 99.9% of linux machines (including the ones I administer) are vastly more secure than most windows machines. The point I was trying to make with taht was that I'm not an expert in windows or viruses so I wanted the OP read what I said with that in mind. Maybe next time I need a disclaimer to my disclaimer?

Back to the topic at hand, I did a quick google search and found this article: http://www.extremetech.com/computing...-to-do-instead

It says that most of the android apps available still won't find malware on your phone so just be careful what you install, but I know in the PC world AVG is a popular solution and they have an android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ntivirus&hl=en

I didn't find anything about using a PC to scan for android viruses other than some people asking for similar things. Funny enough, this thread is somewhere around the 6th match when searching "use pc to scan for android viruses".

[inVERt'D]

"Panties in a wad?"

Dude I'm going commando.

[6spdYJ]

Thanks for over-technicalization of a question from a guy who just don't know I'll keep it at the app level. Actually, I'll have the kid do it - I can barely answer the phone on the dumb thing. I just didn't want to try something and mess it up. I save that for the YJ. You guys both rock for helping.

[Materdaddy]

"Panties in a wad?"

Dude I'm going commando.

TMI! :censor:

[inVERt'D]

TMI! :censor:

Why does everyone always say that? :homer:

[USMC 0369]

[COLOR="darkred"]I went into the Google Play store and downloaded the AVG Android anti-virus software. It's free for trial period. Maybe give it a check.[/COLOR]

[Roger]

AVG has free antivirus software for Android: http://www.avg.com/us-en/antivirus-for-android