MacDailyNews Take: See how Spence did that? He first made Google’s Android look like an equal of Apple’s when, in fact, 210,161 of those “more than 250,000 applications” he cites happen to reside in Apple’s App Store. Then he makes it seem as if malware as big a concern for Apple’s iPhone as for Google’s Android when nothing could be further from the truth. We fixed the Journal’s headline, too. Ours conveys the real story much more clearly.
Ante continues, burying the lede several paragraphs into his piece, “Unlike Apple or BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd., Google doesn’t have employees dedicated to vetting applications submitted to its Android store. Google said it removes apps that violate its policies, but largely relies on users to alert it to bad software. ‘We check reactively,’ said a Google spokesman.”
MacDailyNews Take: Ante then reports that the FBI and U.S. Air Force have barred employees from downloading apps, but specifically mentions RIM BlackBerry in conjunction with the Air Force, not iPhone, while failing to explain what type of phone the FBI uses (must be classified). Even if the FBU uses iPhones, barring employees from downloading apps doesn’t necessarily mean that malware is a concern; perhaps they simply don’t want them whiling away the day with Super Monkey Ball. Again, the most important thing in his report is something Spencer seems to want to obfuscate. We won’t oblige and therefore repeat Ante’s words, “Unlike Apple or BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd., Google doesn’t have employees dedicated to vetting applications submitted to its Android store. Google said it removes apps that violate its policies, but largely relies on users to alert it to bad software. ‘We check reactively,’ said a Google spokesman.”
Ante continues, “‘We all see this tipping point coming,’ said Peter Tippett, who oversees an investigative-response team that studies computer crime at Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications Inc. that serves corporations. ‘There is a lot of activity to figure out how to make it less likely that a financial transaction would be exploited’ on a mobile phone, he said.”
MacDailyNews Take: So, Tippett sees a tipping point. Cute onomatopoeia aside, Verizon offers BlackBerry and Android devices, not Apple’s iPhone.
Ante continues, “Some security experts believe Google’s Android Market is more vulnerable than other app stores since Google doesn’t examine all apps before they are available for users to download.”
MacDailyNews Take: Kudos to Spence for throwing that line in; however, when you read his whole piece, the general takeaway is that it’s an attempt to tar all smartphones with the same brush. We encourage you to read his full article and see if you agree.
Ante continues, “A Google spokesman said the company has put in place security measures, such as remotely disabling apps found to be malicious and requiring developers to register with its Checkout payment service, and argued there’s no evidence for claims that its store poses a greater risk than others.”
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, really? Malware designed to steal bank information pops up in Google’s Android app store, January 11, 2010. A bit of research from Spence would have been welcome in that spot, don’t you think?
Ante continues, “Apple vets applications before they appear in its App Store, but risks still exist. In July 2008, Apple pulled a popular game called Aurora Feint from its store after it was discovered to be uploading users’ contact lists to the game maker’s servers. More recently, it yanked hundreds of apps it said violated its policies, some out of security concerns.”
MacDailyNews Take: July 2008. And it wasn’t stealing bank information, either. The hundreds of apps Apple removed recently were due to objectionable content (nudity, etc.) not “security concerns.” Plese see: Apple removes porn and sex apps from iTunes App Store, February 19, 2010.
Ante continues, “‘Consumers should be aware that iPhone security is far from perfect and that a piece of software downloaded from the App Store may still be harmful,’ wrote software engineer Nicolas Seriot in a research paper detailing iPhone security holes that he presented at a computer security conference in February.”
MacDailyNews Take: That’s fine and dandy, but why does he limit it to iPhone? It’s curious. Again, this “report” seems to try really, really hard to equate all smartphones’ security concerns, when they most certainly are not equal. As Spence himself reported earlier, “Unlike Apple or BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd., Google doesn’t have employees dedicated to vetting applications submitted to its Android store. Google said it removes apps that violate its policies, but largely relies on users to alert it to bad software. ‘We check reactively,’ said a Google spokesman.”
Ante continues, “Apple’s iPhone itself isn’t immune to mobile threats, either. Since 2008, security experts have identified at least 36 security holes in the phone’s software, according to a review of the National Vulnerability Database maintained by the Department of Homeland Security. One, identified in September 2009, could have allowed hackers to learn someone’s username and password from messages sent to servers when browsing the Web.”
MacDailyNews Take: That’s okay, Spence, we’ll finish your report for you: That September 2009 issue has since been corrected and unlike most Google Android users, Apple iPhone users can update their devices quickly and easily to the latest OS with the latest security fixes. Please see: Android users unlikely (and often unable) to upgrade their operating systems, May 03, 2010. You’re welcome, Spence.
Ante continues, “Some victims are now more cautious. Sara Dellabella, a car saleswoman in Cuba City, Wisc., said she doesn’t download as many apps on her Motorola Inc. Droid phone, which uses Google’s Android software, after a malicious game her son downloaded from the Android Market wiped out all of her text messages and personal notes. ‘It just rips your heart out,’ she said. ‘I am being more vigilant now.'”
MacDailyNews Take: You’d better be more vigilant, Sara. After all, “Unlike Apple or BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd., Google doesn’t have employees dedicated to vetting applications submitted to its Android store. Google said it removes apps that violate its policies, but largely relies on users to alert it to bad software. ‘We check reactively,’ said a Google spokesman.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Yellow journalism, just amateurish reporting, and/or something else? Please read the full article and let us know what you think. Also, while you’re at it, let The Wall Street Journal know, too:
Hey folks, this is the writer of the WSj story Spencer Ante. I just want to thank you Bongo for being fair. I have no axe to grind with Apple. I admire Apple greatly. The main point of the story is to be careful on your smartphone–whichever one you use–because the bad guys are starting to target it as the platform explodes in usage.
My issue with the MacDailyNews writer–besides the absurd accusations of yellow amateurish journalism–is that he (or she?) acts if as if Apple is invulnerable and beyond critique. No cell phone is immune from malware, just like no PC is immune from malware. Yes, some have better defenses than others, and Apple’s more stringent review process looks smarter in light of these growing threats, but they all have some issues.
I must have touched a nerve, though. The story, Dark Side Arises for Phone Apps,” has the been the most read story on wsj.com for the last two days, and also one of the most emailed.
In case it’s news to anyone, there are a great number of sick and twisted people in this world. The fact that 90% of all email is spam illustrates this fact quite convincingly. Any person or business that doesn’t take adequate measures to protect itself from such an all-pervasive threat is just plain stupid. Steve Jobs is totally on top of this and anyone who doesn’t like the way he does it should go buy the Windows product they so richly deserve.
Spencer:
Thanks for the info.
MDN treats everyone this way. They seriously do think that Apple is invulnerable and beyond critique and they really do think that anyone who says otherwise is a fool.
If you produce an article about Apple, you’d better gird your loins and be ready for a roasting if you haven’t crossed every ‘t’ and dotted every ‘i’.
My conclusion about this article: Subtle anti-Apple FUD.
Considering the source, News Corp., masters of bullshite propaganda dispersal, kind of gives away the secret.
And also, let’s face it kids:
We’re THE BIG BOYZ IN TOWN now. Instead of getting pot shots at the underdog, we now get the full barrel rifle shots at the head. Bullets ricochet off just as easily as ever, but we’re a bigger target, inspiring a greater variety of pot shots.
Software, has no such a concept as security.
@Spencer
You are welcome. I like Apple and their products for the most part, but I like to provide a sense of balance and reality on this fanboy-inundated website. There was absolutely nothing wrong with your article.
I’ve been interacting with people at the Digg site over this situation. It turns out that there are a lot of apologists for Google who pretend there is nothing wrong, using faerie land justification for Google’s lazy attitude toward MALWARE and CRAPWARE in their store.
And I don’t believe these dullards are trolls either! (I’ve run into many seemingly paid Google trolls since January). These are real Android users who think the chaotic free-for-all is actually a good thing. In an ideal world, where Positive Anarchy works among humans, I’d say ‘great!’ too. But here in the current human world, free-for-all means all the parasites and lazy programmers come out of the woodwork and screwup everyone’s phone.
No thanks. Apple got it right.
Another crazy phenomenon among Android apologists:
Android is Open Source. That’s an excellent thing.
But the apologists think that this means the entire Android platform of applications is therefore Open Source. (o_0) Oops. Broken synapses.
Anything and everything is dumped into the Android app store. The quality results from Open Source projects is NOT there. But these dullards don’t get it. WAKE UP!
Then the last big bozosity among the apologists:
Drink the drugged KoolAid and believe that Google are going to protect you from MALWARE and CRAPWARE by way of Android users reporting bad apps. Google will then yank them so no one further gets hurt.
What is the likelihood of that wishful thinking actually working? We’ve already got plenty of published examples that prove it is a FAILure. Magic wishes come true? Right?!
Hey, Derek.
I prefer the Android app store for giving me my own choices. If Apple would /only/ screen apps that come in for malware, I’d be perfectly fine with it. When you want to control the actual content, I buy from someone else.
Nice to know I’m a “dullard” for having an opinion, though.