Security has long been one of Android’s most pressing issues. What is the truth about malware? Where is it found? And how can you avoid it? We set out to separate fact from fiction.
In its latest Mobile Threat Report, computer security company F-Secure paints a depressing picture for Android users. During 2012, 79 per cent of all viruses for mobile platforms were aimed at the Android platform, up from 67 per cent in 2011. What’s more, things appear to be getting worse. In the final quarter of 2012, another 96 new families of Android malware appeared, compared to an average of 47 threats in each of the previous quarters.
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In a sense, the targeting of Android isn’t particularly surprising – after all, it is the most popular mobile operating system. However, the threat does appear to be more than we might expect for Android’s 69 per cent market share during 2012. Does this mean that Android is more vulnerable to attack than other mobile platforms? Not necessarily.
According to F-Secure, a more likely explanation is that malware writers invariably turn their attention from those operating systems such as Symbian that are in decline to those that are seeing massive growth – and that matches Android’s description. Not only is the threat to Android on the increase but the nature of that threat is changing. During the last 12 months, 66 per cent of all Android malware took the form of Trojans and many had a financial motivation.
Unlike the viruses that have plagued PCs for years, a Trojan looks like an ordinary application so it’s deliberately installed by the user. But whereas most apps ‘do exactly what it says on the tin’, Trojans pack a punch you weren’t expecting. Increasingly, that nasty surprise is that it ends up costing you money. One common trick is to send texts to a premium rate number that is owned by the virus writer. It then deletes all records from your smartphone so that you don’t realise what’s been happening until you receive your next bill and get a horrible shock.
While there’s no way you can fully protect yourself from Trojans – other than never installing apps, that is – according to antimalware vendor Kaspersky, one of the best ways is to avoid installing apps from suspicious websites. While dodgy apps on the Play store have been reported (eg Find and Call which appeared in 2012 and was quickly removed), in the main, Google takes its responsibility to protect users seriously and this is very much the exception rather than the rule.
Top tips for avoiding malware
1. Stick to installing software from offi cial Android markets such as Google Play or one from your phone operator. While it can be fun to install new software, and it may be tempting to install a game you discover via Facebook, it’s not always the best idea.
2. Even when using official markets, exercise caution – truly ‘free’ applications are rare. Many free applications attempt to pay for themselves using ads, and those ads can sometimes link to scams. Always check all of the developer’s apps and if you see too many similar ones, it’s a sign that negative feedback has caused the developer to ‘rebrand’ his spammy code. Free apps that are really worth installing will have genuinely positive feedback that’s hard to fake.
3. Use your screen lock so your jealous other half doesn’t install a spy tool on your phone.
In its latest Mobile Threat Report, computer security company F-Secure paints a depressing picture for Android users. During 2012, 79 per cent of all viruses for mobile platforms were aimed at the Android platform, up from 67 per cent in 2011. What’s more, things appear to be getting worse. In the final quarter of 2012, another 96 new families of Android malware appeared, compared to an average of 47 threats in each of the previous quarters.
In a sense, the targeting of Android isn’t particularly surprising – after all, it is the most popular mobile operating system. However, the threat does appear to be more than we might expect for Android’s 69 per cent market share during 2012. Does this mean that Android is more vulnerable to attack than other mobile platforms? Not necessarily.
According to F-Secure, a more likely explanation is that malware writers invariably turn their attention from those operating systems such as Symbian that are in decline to those that are seeing massive growth – and that matches Android’s description. Not only is the threat to Android on the increase but the nature of that threat is changing. During the last 12 months, 66 per cent of all Android malware took the form of Trojans and many had a financial motivation.
Unlike the viruses that have plagued PCs for years, a Trojan looks like an ordinary application so it’s deliberately installed by the user. But whereas most apps ‘do exactly what it says on the tin’, Trojans pack a punch you weren’t expecting. Increasingly, that nasty surprise is that it ends up costing you money. One common trick is to send texts to a premium rate number that is owned by the virus writer. It then deletes all records from your smartphone so that you don’t realise what’s been happening until you receive your next bill and get a horrible shock.
While there’s no way you can fully protect yourself from Trojans – other than never installing apps, that is – according to antimalware vendor Kaspersky, one of the best ways is to avoid installing apps from suspicious websites. While dodgy apps on the Play store have been reported (eg Find and Call which appeared in 2012 and was quickly removed), in the main, Google takes its responsibility to protect users seriously and this is very much the exception rather than the rule.
Top tips for avoiding malware
1. Stick to installing software from offi cial Android markets such as Google Play or one from your phone operator. While it can be fun to install new software, and it may be tempting to install a game you discover via Facebook, it’s not always the best idea.
2. Even when using official markets, exercise caution – truly ‘free’ applications are rare. Many free applications attempt to pay for themselves using ads, and those ads can sometimes link to scams. Always check all of the developer’s apps and if you see too many similar ones, it’s a sign that negative feedback has caused the developer to ‘rebrand’ his spammy code. Free apps that are really worth installing will have genuinely positive feedback that’s hard to fake.
3. Use your screen lock so your jealous other half doesn’t install a spy tool on your phone.
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