Kaspersky Lab Presents Phound, A New Free Anti-Theft App for Android Devices
Kaspersky Lab has made a strong name for itself as one of the most trustworthy internet security experts with security solutions that can be rivaled by very few in the market. In a new move that will see more Android users become better secure their most treasured companion; their smartphone and the personal information the contain. Kaspersky has released a new free app dubbed Phound! The app derives its name from Phone and Hound and is meant to help users quickly recover their lost Android devices and ensure that their private data do not fall on prying eyes.
Based on a survey that was conducted on internet users in the UAE revealed that 14% of smartphone users lost their devices out of sheer carelessness or theft. 39% of these users said they stored confidential information on their devices that they feared prying eyes having access to. Kaspersky’s Phound was purposely developed to address such cases.
The Phound app said to be available for free, gives device owners the ability to control their lost devices and protect the data stored, remotely through the My Kaspersky portal. A device owner, who had this app installed, can quickly block their lost or stolen devices thus preventing unauthorized access to their private data. Users can also use GPS, GSM or Wi-Fi networks to locate their devices on a map. They can also remotely take pictures from the stolen phone’s front camera or bring up a message on their phone’s screen.
If it is a case of a misplaced smartphone or tablet; where the user does not remember where he or she placed their device. They can use the My Kaspersky portal to set off an alarm on their device that would make an endless loud sound and only stop when the user enters the correct secret code. As a last resort, users can use Phound to wipe their device clean; all personal data stored on the device, and the microSD card will be all deleted. Users can also perform a hard reset if they feel it is necessary.
Alexy Chiko, Senior Product Manager at Kaspersky Lab said, “For many users, mobile devices serve as storage for their most valuable and important data – contacts of friends and colleagues, personal messages, private photos and many other things. This means that today’s smartphones and tablets need the same security as a bank vault. However, unlike bank vaults, smartphones are small, portable and easily misplaced. That is why we created a solution for our users to prevent their mobile ‘vault’ from falling into the wrong hands.”
The app is now available on Google Play Store, the official app store for Android devices. It complements the company’s portfolio of free and freemium mobile products for the home users. They include Kaspersky QR Scan, Kaspersky Threat Scan, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android, Kaspersky Safe Browser for iOS and Windows Phone and Kaspersky Password Manager for iOS and Android.