Android is a platform that supports almost four out of five mobile devices worldwide. Android users are increasing daily on a large scale. It is so popular because it is free, easy to use,have large variety of apps and it's terms do not dictate to manufacturers about the hardware to be used.
But, over the past few months, Android platform is having a difficult time. Hackers are making some softwares with malicious intents. They are finding the ways about how to make this operating system weak. It seems that the hacking is the result of the popularity of Android, but there are some inherent problems, which experts and hackers have discovered don't exist on other platforms.
Android is getting more attention from hackers and malware creators, because it has more than 40,000different malware compromises. Same systems for Apple or Windows phones seem to have less such issues.
Few months ago, there was a concern about an SMS worm that could propagate via Android Devices. Now, researchers have found a flaw in the GMail Android app. This flaw makes it easy to create malware to obtain personal information using the gmail application as a route to extract all kinds of data from your phones.
The researchers have claimed that this is an issue about Windows and Apple devices also. But, Microsoft and Apple have app stores that include a range of strict security checks before an app is allowed on their devices. Unlike this, Google Play Environment lacks in these security checks. Also, Plat Store is not the only source of Android applications. There are many non-Google appstores available for Android devices.
The security community has also exposed some flaws with the official Google Play Store. In case of Microsoft or Apple devices, we can trust the applications we have downloaded. In case of Android devices, te risk is considerably higher. You must have an up-to-date anto-malware software on your device.
Another issue for Android devices is with their factory reset option. It has been found that, the factory reset option, which should erase any historical data from the device, seemed not to work well. (This is the same issue regarding the Tesco Hudl Tablet, reported earlier this August.)
The system of Android updates also is an issue. When new and better Android version releases, newly released devices uses them. Also some high-end devices get the updates. But the lower priced Android devices stick to the same version. So, currently along with the latest version of Android, KitKat, previous versions such as Jellybean, ICS, etc. are also in use.
I agree that Android is a great platform. It has enabled the low-cost smartphones and tablets to take place in the market. But still, Google should make some more improvements in it and should tighten the rules about how an application should enter the device. Currently, the most important thing is that, every Android user should do is to install an anti-malware app on their device.
This article is previously published at The Conversation.
But, over the past few months, Android platform is having a difficult time. Hackers are making some softwares with malicious intents. They are finding the ways about how to make this operating system weak. It seems that the hacking is the result of the popularity of Android, but there are some inherent problems, which experts and hackers have discovered don't exist on other platforms.
Android is getting more attention from hackers and malware creators, because it has more than 40,000different malware compromises. Same systems for Apple or Windows phones seem to have less such issues.
Few months ago, there was a concern about an SMS worm that could propagate via Android Devices. Now, researchers have found a flaw in the GMail Android app. This flaw makes it easy to create malware to obtain personal information using the gmail application as a route to extract all kinds of data from your phones.
The researchers have claimed that this is an issue about Windows and Apple devices also. But, Microsoft and Apple have app stores that include a range of strict security checks before an app is allowed on their devices. Unlike this, Google Play Environment lacks in these security checks. Also, Plat Store is not the only source of Android applications. There are many non-Google appstores available for Android devices.
The security community has also exposed some flaws with the official Google Play Store. In case of Microsoft or Apple devices, we can trust the applications we have downloaded. In case of Android devices, te risk is considerably higher. You must have an up-to-date anto-malware software on your device.
Another issue for Android devices is with their factory reset option. It has been found that, the factory reset option, which should erase any historical data from the device, seemed not to work well. (This is the same issue regarding the Tesco Hudl Tablet, reported earlier this August.)
The system of Android updates also is an issue. When new and better Android version releases, newly released devices uses them. Also some high-end devices get the updates. But the lower priced Android devices stick to the same version. So, currently along with the latest version of Android, KitKat, previous versions such as Jellybean, ICS, etc. are also in use.
I agree that Android is a great platform. It has enabled the low-cost smartphones and tablets to take place in the market. But still, Google should make some more improvements in it and should tighten the rules about how an application should enter the device. Currently, the most important thing is that, every Android user should do is to install an anti-malware app on their device.
This article is previously published at The Conversation.
