App scans downloads, email, multi-app files

Intego is launching an app for the the iPhone and iPad, VirusBarrier for iOS, that can scan some of the files on iOS devices for viruses and malware. The app is geared at preventing an infected file from traveling between machines with the iPhone as a conduit, since iOS in general has had the same resilience against malware and viruses as its sibling Mac OS X -- unlike its closest competitor Android, which has seen spreading malware and security issues.

Due to the nature of Apple's iOS, apps work in isolation from one another -- so the app cannot scan or alter other apps, nor can it run automatic or scheduled scans. Virusbarrier can, however, run as an on-demand offering, and can seek viruses, malware, adware, keyloggers and hacker tools on user-accessible files and email attachments, as well as remote files sitting on MobileMe, Dropbox or WebDav servers.

It also manages files downloaded from Safari and multi-app capable documents, such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, PDFs, HTML files, JavaScript files, ZIP archives and Windows executables. Further, it scans websites for phishing URLs, web threats, and malware hosting.

The app can repair infected files and can download new malware information. The $3 price includes a year of free downloads of new Malware definitions, with subsequent years costing $2 per year as in-app purchases. The app works on iPhones, iPads and iPod touches running iOS 4.0 or newer.

by MacNN Staff