It seems like every other day there’s a new story about some new virus, spyware, or other malware-ridden app finding its way into the Google Android Market, and potentially millions of Android phones and tablets. But just because the Android Market is the Wild West compared to Apple’s App Store walled garden where every app must be approved by hand, doesn’t mean Google doesn’t take malware seriously.

While anyone can publish an Android app to the Market in a matter of minutes, Google is taking steps to scan apps to detect malicious software automatically.

For the last few months Google has already been using a new scanner which is codenamed “Bouncer.” It looks at new apps as they’re uploaded and also scans existing apps and developer accounts to look for potential problems.

Bouncer looks for known malware, but also identifies behavior that could be an indication that something shady is going on. Google says the number of downloads of potentially dangerous apps dropped 40 percent between the first half of 2011 and the second half (when Bouncer was implemented).

So what do you think? Do you feel any safer? Or would you prefer if someone from Google examined each Android app manually before it was added to the Market the way Apple does? Because that’s not going to happen… it’s not how a company that doesn’t even offer customer support works.

Trend Micro has launched an updated version of its Mobile Security app for Google Android. The new app continues to offer parental controls, filtering options for incoming phone calls and text messages, and protection from malicious websites. But Version 2.0 adds a few new features including:

• An app scanner that prevents you from installing infected apps
• A tool that lets you locate, lock, or remotely wipe data from a lost phone or tablet
• Improved web browsing, phone call, and text message security features

Honestly, there’s not a lot here that we haven’t seen from other mobile security apps from ESET, Symantec, Bitdefender, Lookout, or AVG, just to name a few. But at least there’s a free 30 day trial of all the premium features.

After your time is up you can either pay $29.99 for a one year subscription or continue using the app scanner for free.

Trend Micro Mobile Security is available as a free download from the Android Market.

When you download and install an app on your Android phone or tablet a splash screen will show you the different permissions the app requires. Some apps need to be able to detect your location, others look at your contact list, and some even require the ability to send SMS messages. But once the apps are installed it’s not always easy to remember which apps are using which services.

LBE Privacy Guard lets you know. When you install the app it will automatically alert you when an app is requesting certain permissions. Some are obvious — if you fire up Yelp, of course it’s going to look for your location in order to find nearby restaurants and other businesses. But I don’t always think about my internet radio app requiring location information — but it does, because it can show me local radio stations.

There’s only one catch: LBE Privacy Guard only works on Android phones that have been rooted.

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ESTE Mobile Security is a suite of tools for Android that helps protect you against viruses, spam and other malware, and which gives you tools to protect your data if your phone is lost or stolen. This week the company launched a new release candidate of ESET Mobile Security with some bug fixes and a handful of new features.

It seems to be Android mobile security week. Symantec launched a new app yesterday and earlier this week Bitdefender launched a major update to its beta.

The latest version of ESET Mobile Security includes the ability to block phone calls from anonymous callers, and the ability to scan multiple directories or files on your device. There are also two nifty new antitheft features:

• You can send an SMS to your phone to reset a forgotten password.
• You can add a “trusted friend” so that you can reset your password from a pre-defined phone number.

There are a growing number of security threats for Android devices, which is making mobile security software that can scan apps and other downloads for malware seem like a good idea. Or, you know, you could just be careful what you download. Still, there are a growing number of security apps available in the Android Market, and many offer a few features that could be good to have whether you’re scared of malware or not.

Today’s entry comes from security firm Symantec. The new Norton Mobile Security Lite is a free app that scans files and apps for threats and downloads security updates automatically.

Norton Mobile Security Lite also offers an anti-theft system that lets you remotely lock your phone by sending an SMS text message to your device.

The free app doesn’t let you locate a missing phone on a map, remotely wipe the device, block phishing websites, or block calls or text messages from some users. For those features you’ll need to pony up $29.99 per year for a subscription to the full Norton Mobile Security service.

Symantec has been offering a free beta version of its security software for Android since last year.

Other popular security apps for Android include Lookout Mobile Security, McAfee Mobile Security, and AVG Anti-Virus.

Bitdefender has updated its mobile security app for Android with the ability to scan SD cards on-demand or when they’re mounted. The latst version also adds anti-theft features allowing you to remotely locate or wipe your phone by logging into the Bitdefender website.

The security app is available for free while in beta. It can can your Android phone for malware every time you install an app. Or you can run a manual scan at any time. There’s also a web security feature that kicks in when you’re using a web browser.

Bitdefender Mobile Security also has a feature called Security Audit that shows the different Android permissions used by the apps on your device.

I suspect Bitdefender will either charge a fee for its app or roll out a subscription-based premium service once the app exits beta. But it’s free to use for now. The company also offers security software for desktop computers.

Apple has pushed out a minor update for iOS which is meant to patch a security vulnerability which could have left your phone open to an attack. If you’re not using a jailbroken device you should probably connect your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to iTunes and install iOS 4.3.5 to tighten security. For Verizon iPhone users, the software update will bring iOS 4.2.10.

On the other hand, if you are a jailbreaker, here’s what you need to know: If you update you won’t be able to use JailbreakMe.com anymore. It’s the simplest way to jailbreak a device, simply by pointing your iOS web browser to a web site and following the on-screen instructions. But it only works with iOS 4.3.3 and earlier.

But you can still jailbreak your device even after you upgrade to iOS 4.3.5. You just need to download redsn0w for your Mac or PC, connect your iDevice to your computer with a USB cable, and run the app. When it asks for an IPSW, choose the iOS 4.3.4 IPSW, assuming you still have it.

There are two problems with this method though. First, redns0w doesn’t work with the iPad 2 yet. Second, you’ll only get a tethered jailbreak. That means anytime you reboot your device you’ll need to connect to a computer and run redsn0w again or lose your jailbreak.

Lookout Mobile Security‘s Android apps can scan the apps on your mobile device for malware, spyware, data loss, or other security problems. Now the company is partnering with Verizon to offer protection before you even download an app.

Verizon is using Lookouts new Mobile Threat Network API with its V CAST Apps store. This means that any app you download from V CAST will have been scanned before you even look at it, and you don’t have to install any sort of security app on your device to benefit. That said, if a program is identified as containing malware after you’ve installed it, Lookout can alert you if you’re running the company’s mobile app on your device. I’m not sure that’s the case if you simply download an app from V CAST or another store using Lookout’s new API.

The Mobile Threat Network isn’t a Verizon exclusive. Lookout hopes to partner with other wireless carriers, app stores, and mobile industry companies as well.