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I'm buying a used Droid phone (Verizon) that has been rooted.

Is there anyway to scan it for viruses (and more importantly) malware? Or maybe even a firewall?

(I may be being overcautious).

Some preliminary research shows several malware apps. Well worth $1 or so.

I'd love any feedback on these.

Norton Mobile Security
Lookout Mobile Security
AVG / DroidSecurity Pro
Webroot Security
Trend Micro Mobile Security
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I wouldn't say you are being overcautious. You are getting a pre-owned rooted device. The amount of things that leaves open, if the previous owner was malicious, is astonishing. –  Dylan Yaga Jan 5 '12 at 15:44
Is there some reason why a factory default reset wouldn't be satisfactory in this case? Or even flashing to a new ROM altogether? –  Logos Jan 5 '12 at 17:18
Yes, flashing to a new ROM is a pretty good idea. I'm just looking for the least effort option, and worried about bricking the phone :) –  Clay Nichols Jan 9 '12 at 16:42
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2 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

I use DroidWall for this purpose - it's a firewall with a whitelist or blacklist configuration. Also AVG Antivirus Free and Lookout for detecting virus and other malware.

Set DroidWall to Whitelist mode with log enabled, which disables internet access for all apps and services except the ones you explicitly allow. Then use the phone for a while, open up all the apps once, restart the phone (all this to give a malicious app a chance to get activated). Then, open DroidWall and view its log. You'll see all the apps which tried to access the internet and the IP addresses they tried to connect to.

Screenshot of DroidWall log

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Wow, DroidWall came a long way since I last used it. Nice trick of using it as a net. –  Chahk Jan 5 '12 at 17:13
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First of I agree with @Lagos. You are buying a used phone, why not factory reset or install a new ROM?

Regarding Viruses and Malware, Chris DiBona, Open Source Programs Manager at Google, wrote the following on Google+:


It's up to you if you trust him or not but he should have some insight. And in you case it might be a bit different if you are staying with the custom ROM of course.

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