Qualcomm beefs up Snapdragon 820 with extra malware protection (pictures)

Smart Protect's functionality is based on the 820 hardware and provides another layer of security for your phone against malware, spyware and data leaks.

As data protection and security grows more important to users, Qualcomm is outfitting its upcoming Snapdragon 820 processor with a security platform meant to ward off harmful malware.

The service is offered as an Application Programming Interface (API) kit to mobile manufacturers that will equip their phones with the 820 (as well as other apps Qualcomm is partnering with). These images are just UI references to what the service could look like.

Here, a user is notified that an app is acting suspiciously -- it is trying to send texts without any user interaction and accessing a user's contact list.

In another example, Smart Protect has detected an app using the device's camera suspiciously and gathering location data.

Here, the service is recommending uninstalling a harmful app, disguised as a benign FIFA 2014 game, due to its spyware activity.

The 820 processor is due out the first quarter of 2016, so expect to see versions of Qualcomm's service then. Read more about it here.