AVG buys Android security specialist to protect mobiles

AVG Technologies has announced the acquisition of DroidSecurity, a company that provides security software for Android smartphones and tablets.

Downloads of DroidSecurity's mobile security application passed 4.5 million during October, and AVG claimed that the purchase will extend its security offerings to millions of consumers and small businesses.

AVG chief operating officer Clent Richardson said that the move was fuelled by the potential future growth of the Android platform, and the demand for better mobile security.

"Android is the dominant platform and the fastest growing platform. While other operating systems are important, we are all about growth and we think that will happen most with Android," he said.

Richardson added that DroidSecurity's decision to give away its software for free fitted in with the AVG ethos.

Tony Anscombe, AVG's head of free products, added that the move underlines a dramatic shift to mobile technologies.

"Lots of people are moving what they do to the mobile space, such as email and web browsing, and in some areas around the world the use of mobile devices is happening without the use of desktop devices at all, so this area is set for huge growth," he said.

The firm refused to give any specific figures on the cost of the acquisition, but has promised a more defined roadmap in a month or so.

The purchase could prove timely after MWR InfoSecurity discovered flaws in an HTC smartphone running on Android that allows it to be hacked and turned into a bugging device. MWR has already warned that the Palm Pre could be affected in a similar way.

"Mobile phone users globally are open to exactly the same risks as a user of a poorly secured desktop computer," the company said.

"The more we test these phones the more security flaws we find. It's not just the manufacturers that are to blame; it is the mobile network providers who are not doing enough to protect their customers."