SlashNext Mobile Security Review - PCMag

You tin instal and support the champion antivirus tool successful the world, 1 that fends disconnected each imaginable onslaught by data-stealing Trojans and different types of malware. However, that malware extortion won’t assistance erstwhile the people of the onslaught is you, the user. If fraudsters tin instrumentality you into entering your username and password connected a fake site, they ain your account, with overmuch little effort than getting the aforesaid accusation utilizing malware. SlashNext Mobile Security exists to prevention you from making that benignant of mistake and assistance you recognize what happened. It proved effectual successful testing, but its terms is conscionable excessively precocious unless your leader is paying for it. Bitdefender AntiVirus Plus is our apical prime for antivirus software, getting a cleanable five-star rating.

The SlashNext Mobile Story

SlashNext chiefly tends to the needs of endeavor customers, with company-wide extortion against phishing, spear-phishing, and different exploits. The IT section tin propulsion SlashNext Business retired to each company-owned phone, with thing required of the user. If employees accidentally interruption information by responding to a malicious substance connection oregon visiting a fraudulent site, the app steps in. And medication tin precisely way the app’s enactment connected each institution phone.

But that level of power isn’t close for each business, according to Jimmy Lin, elder manager of merchandise absorption for SlashNext. In astir businesses, institution phones are a happening of the past. Instead, they trust connected BYOD (bring your ain device), letting employees usage their idiosyncratic phones connected the institution network. Management mightiness instrumentality precautions specified arsenic requiring usage of the institution VPN for accessing delicate data, but they besides indispensable woody with pushback from employees implicit too-stringent rules and excessively overmuch oversight.

Employees particularly don’t privation the IT section signaling each fake website they accidentally effort to visit. To code this problem, Lin explained, the institution developed a Personal edition, inactive managed by the institution to an extent, but without incidental recording.

Even that level of Big Brother oversight proved excessively overmuch successful immoderate cases, truthful SlashNext took different measurement toward personalization, creating SlashNext Mobile Security. This app is wholly controlled by the idiosyncratic and downloaded straight from the App Store oregon Google Play. All investigation happens connected the section device, and thing gets reported to IT administration. The lone institution engagement is simply a voucher that obviates the request for payment. This wholly individualized benignant means that, dissimilar different SlashNext offerings, anybody tin download and usage SlashNext Mobile.

How Much Does SlashNext Mobile Security Cost?

So, conscionable however overmuch bash you prevention if your leader foots the bill? A subscription for SlashNext Mobile lists astatine $5.99 per period oregon $59.99 per year. That lets you instal the app connected up to 5 devices, either by straight enrolling your ain devices oregon by extending a subsidiary subscription to a household member. A two-month escaped proceedings lets you footwear the tires earlier committing to payment.

Pixm antiphishing is different consumer-available antiphishing solution that trickles down from a bigger-scale concern merchandise line. Unlike SlashNext, it’s free, and it works connected immoderate level arsenic a browser hold for Chrome oregon Firefox. Unfortunately, my hands-on investigating revealed a multitude of problems with it.

SlashNext’s terms lands astir successful the mediate of the scope for a five-license antivirus subscription. K7 Antivirus Premium costs conscionable $34 astatine that level, and SecureAge CatchPulse goes for somewhat less. ESET and Malwarebytes some outgo $79.99 for 5 licenses, and Panda is somewhat more. Note, though, that these are each full-scale antivirus tools. They see phishing detection but besides scan for malware connected request and successful existent time.

Getting Started With SlashNext Mobile Security

You download and instal this app conscionable similar immoderate other. At startup, you motion successful with your Apple, Google, oregon Facebook account. My institution interaction pointed retired that the designers deliberately avoided creating yet different product-specific account, since each idiosyncratic volition already person astatine slightest a Google oregon Apple account.

(Credit: SlashNext)

The app past walks done a elemental installation process. To alteration Web Protection, it needs support to instal a section filter utilizing VPN technology. You indispensable besides springiness it support to filter your incoming SMS messages. That’s it; you’re protected.

(Credit: SlashNext)

The app besides encourages you to widen extortion to household members, thing you tin bash astatine immoderate time. The process is simple. You participate the household member’s sanction and email code and cheque a container if you privation a notification erstwhile SlashNext blocks an onslaught connected this person. The app sends a substance with links for the household subordinate to instal it and activate extortion nether your account.

(Credit: SlashNext)

SlashNext behaves astir identically connected a household account. The lone important quality is that you, the archetypal relationship holder, are the lone 1 who tin make further household accounts.

Managing SlashNext Mobile Security

Once installed and configured, the app opens to a elemental dashboard with an overview of your protection. Simple presumption markers astatine the apical amusement that Web Protection and SMS Protection are enabled. Most of the leafage displays statistic astir your extortion for today, this month, oregon each time. And a database astatine the bottommost slides up to uncover precocious blocked threats. You tin usage the elemental paper astatine near to prime Dashboard, Blocked Web Threats, Unsafe SMS, oregon System, oregon conscionable swipe near and close to determination betwixt those pages.

(Credit: SlashNext)

On the Blocked Web Threats page, you tin spot a breakdown of the app’s enactment by benignant (I’ll sermon the types below) oregon by time. Tapping immoderate benignant gets a afloat database of blocked sites, and tapping immoderate tract displays detail. The Unsafe SMS leafage displays blocked substance attacks successful a akin fashion, and the System leafage simply lets you crook Web Protection and SMS Protection connected oregon off.

Comprehensive, Informative Phishing Protection

SlashNext’s phishing extortion couldn’t beryllium simpler. Whatever browser you’re using, it checks pages earlier you spot them. If it detects danger, it slides successful a warning, leaving the browser to show an mistake message. Tapping the notification gets you details connected what happened.

My interaction astatine SlashNext pointed retired that users sometimes privation to reason erstwhile protective bundle blocks the leafage they tried to visit. They’re not convinced it was a problem. In a diagnostic I’ve seen obscurity else, SlashNext provides a thumbnail of what the occupation tract would look like. Seeing a Netflix login leafage nether a URL similar realestate.codecs.com.br hammers location the information that this genuinely is simply a fraud.

(Credit: SlashNext)

SlashNext besides identifies conscionable what benignant of menace the leafage poses. In testing, I lone saw Credential Stealing and Fraudulent Website. However, it besides flags scareware, rogue software, malware, and information exfiltration sites. For each menace type, it provides a elaborate explanation.

Hands On With SlashNext Mobile Security

For investigating purposes, I installed SlashNext Mobile Security connected an iPad and connected a Google Pixel 6. I utilized the iPad for my main phishing test, spot-checking connected the Android to verify matching behavior.

As always, I commencement my phishing extortion trial by scraping hundreds of verified frauds and not-yet-verified alleged phishing from sites that way specified things. In summation to the merchandise nether testing, I acceptable up instances of Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, relying connected each browser’s built-in detection of unsafe pages. I measurement done the database of URLs, launching each simultaneously successful each 4 browsers. If immoderate 1 of them displays an mistake message, I discard the item. And if the resulting leafage isn’t intelligibly an effort to seizure login credentials for a delicate website, again, I discard it.

SlashNext performed admirably successful this test, detecting 98% of the verified phishing URLs, the aforesaid arsenic F-Secure and Total Defense. It handily bushed retired each 3 browsers. Firefox was intelligibly having a atrocious time for detection, lagging 48 percent points down SlashNext.

On the different hand, rather a fewer modular antivirus tools outscored SlashNext, if lone by a little. Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Webroot each edged up to 99% protection. At the precise top, Avast One, Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security, and ZoneAlarm detected 100% successful their latest tests.

SMS Protection successful SlashNext Mobile Security

I person a well-established strategy for investigating however good a merchandise detects phishing URLs, but I person thing akin for unsafe SMS messages. My trial iPad, similar astir iPads, doesn’t person SMS texts, and my trial Android isn’t provisioned to person texts. Still, I tin study connected what the SMS filter is meant to do.

One benignant of SMS phishing aims to get victims to click connected a unsafe link. Your Facebook is suspended owed to inappropriate posts; click present to resolve. DHL couldn’t present a bundle and needs you to reschedule delivery. These are casual to measure simply by checking the linked-to page.

Another benignant eschews the nexus successful favour of asking you to telephone a peculiar telephone fig oregon execute immoderate different link-free action. Those are harder to catch, though they stock the aforesaid consciousness of urgency. SlashNext uses machine-learning algorithms to spot specified texts based connected their connection and style.

(Credit: SlashNext)

Either way, if SlashNext filters retired a connection you won’t spot it successful your texts and you won’t get an annoying notification. You tin cheque the SlashNext folder successful your Messages app if you truly privation to spot these useless smishes.

What’s Not successful SlashNext Mobile Security

At the firm level, SlashNext offers Browser Protection, a browser hold for desktop computers that performs the aforesaid relation arsenic SlashNext Mobile Security. So wherefore isn’t it disposable for individuals? My institution interaction explained that determination was a large propulsion for the individualized mobile information app, but nary akin propulsion for browser-based protection.

Also, arsenic noted, SlashNext Mobile Security is purely aimed astatine mobile phishing and SMS protection. It doesn’t scan for malware oregon cheque for spam and phishing successful email messages.

If the Boss Pays for It…

While SlashNext Mobile Security is disposable to anyone utilizing an Android oregon iOS device, its main usage lawsuit is inactive corporate. If you get a voucher from the institution to wage for it, the terms doesn’t matter. But if you’re paying retired of pocket, it conscionable costs excessively much. For the aforesaid price, you tin get a full-featured antivirus utility, 1 that performs arsenic good arsenic SlashNext against phishing attacks and does truthful connected some desktops and mobile devices.

Bitdefender AntiVirus Plus and Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus some people somewhat amended than SlashNext successful our hands-on tests. Bitdefender packs much features than immoderate information suites, portion Webroot remains the smallest antivirus around. McAfee AntiVirus Plus doesn’t outperform SlashNext successful our phishing test, but for conscionable a fewer dollars more, it extends afloat antivirus extortion to each instrumentality successful your household, moving virtually immoderate platform. Depending connected your needs, these are our 3 Editors’ Choice winners for antivirus tools.