“Is Android safe? Alphabet Inc.’s Google says it is continuing to make its globally dominant mobile operating system safer,” Nathan Olivarez-Giles reports for The Wall Street Journal. “But… the benefits are largely only for people who use a phone or tablet running a newer version of the OS and restrict their app downloads to Google’s own Play store.”
“The safest Android users are the small fraction — 4.6% — who run Android 6 Marshmallow,” Olivarez-Giles reports. “It is the only version of the OS to offer full-disk encryption and new granular app permissions, which give users more control over what data they share with each app.
Olivarez-Giles reports, “By comparison, Apple Inc. says 84% of iOS users are running its most recent and safest version, iOS 9.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Reason #8,435,237 not to use derivative garbage.
If it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone.
SEE ALSO:
Why so few Android phones are encrypted vs. Apple’s iPhone – March 30, 2016
Millions of Android phones open to ‘permanent device compromise’ attack – March 23, 2016
Android malware hits Aussie bank customers, iOS users unaffected – March 10, 2016
Android malware steals one-time passcodes, a crucial defense for online banking – January 14, 2016
New Android malware is so bad, you’d better off buying a new phone – November 6, 2015
Apple issues iPhone manifesto; blasts Android’s lack of updates, lack of privacy, rampant malware – August 10, 2015
New Android malware strains to top 2 million by end of 2015 – July 1, 2015
Symantec: 1 in 5 Android apps is malware – April 25, 2015
Kaspersky Lab Director: Over 98% of mobile malware targets Android because it’s much, much easier to exploit than iOS – January 15, 2015
Security experts: Malware spreading to millions on Android phones – November 21, 2014
There’s practically no iOS malware, thanks to Apple’s smart control over app distribution – June 13, 2014
F-Secure: Android accounted for 99% of new mobile malware in Q1 2014 – April 30, 2014
Google’s Sundar Pichai: Android not designed to be safe; if I wrote malware, I’d target Android, too – February 27, 2014
Cisco: Android the target of 99 percent of world’s mobile malware – January 17, 2014
U.S. DHS, FBI warn of malware threats to Android mobile devices – August 27, 2013
Android app malware rates skyrocket 40 percent in last quarter – August 7, 2013
First malware found in wild that exploits Android app signing flaw – July 25, 2013
Mobile Threats Report: Android accounts for 92% of all mobile malware – June 26, 2013
Latest self-replicating Android Trojan looks and acts just like Windows malware – June 7, 2013
99.9% of new mobile malware targets Android phones – May 30, 2013
Mobile malware exploding, but only for Android – May 14, 2013
Mobile malware: Android is a bad apple – April 15, 2013
F-Secure: Android accounted for 96% of all mobile malware in Q4 2012 – March 7, 2013
New malware attacks Android phones, Windows PCs to eavesdrop, steal data; iPhone, Mac users unaffected – February 4, 2013