Text Protection and Text Message Filtering in Mobile Security

The Text Protection for Android and Text Message Filtering for iOS involve sending messages to a server controlled by Malwarebytes. On iOS devices, Text Message Filtering is done in accordance with the requirements set by Apple, using a process put in place by Apple in iOS. The server that handles the text message data for both iOS and Android is located in Paris, France.

How we ensure this feature is secure

We respect and value the security of your messages.

• Text Message Filtering is handled by iOS, sending messages from senders who are not in your Contacts to a Malwarebytes server.
• Text Protection is handled by Malwarebytes. We send all numbers, including those in your contacts, to our server to be checked.

All communication between your device and our server is done via secure TLS 1.2 connections, using modern ciphers and allowing only SHA2 or better certificates. Find more details on the network communication requirements in iOS. 

Privacy of recipient data within feature

Only the sender and the body of the message are sent to Malwarebytes. No information is provided about the recipient which means we cannot associate your name, phone number, Apple ID, or any other personal information with the messages being filtered. We never sell or otherwise share this data with anyone else.

See more detailed information on how the filtering APIs work. 

How this feature works

On both Android and iOS devices, when you get a text message from unknown sender we send it to our server. There, we examine it to determine if the message is sent from a known scammer, contains phishing links, and if it is malicious.

If a message is identified as malicious:

• iOS: The malicious text message is deleted from your device.
• Android: A notification appears on your device warning you about the potentially malicious text message and recommends that you don't open it for your protection.

The malicious text message is also sent to a separate, secured telemetry server to help us learn more to protect our users. The only information provided to the server is the sender and the body of the message. Messages that are not identified as malicious are immediately deleted. Malwarebytes does not store this data on any Malwarebytes system.

Requirements to enable this feature

To enable Text Message Filtering on iOS devices, go to the iOS Settings app and explicitly enable it in the under Messages > Unknown & Spam. This is required for iOS to communicate with Malwarebytes about text messages.

To enable Text Protection on Android devices, follow the steps in Manage Mobile Security settings on Android devices.