Android security

[Blue Hills]

BBC News - One billion Android devices at risk of hacking
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51751950

Posted to you dear folks from public wifi on a tab running android 6, which i am pretty certain will never update again.

Should i worry?

 

[HMS_Dave]

Android and Security are two words that should be considered incompatible, even new versions. Personally, Blackberry was the way to go for security but perhaps not surprisingly, the public rejected safety for stupid features and apps which many never use and the constant ad bombardments and snooping....

 

[Mo1959]

Android and Security are two words that should be considered incompatible, even new versions. Personally, Blackberry was the way to go for security but perhaps not surprisingly, the public rejected safety for stupid features and apps which many never use and the constant ad bombardments and snooping....

I loved my Blackberry.......was sad to see them go out of favour.

 

[Blue Hills]

I only ever download apps from the playstore but must admit am seriously thinking of deinstalling a lot. They will still stay in the library and can be quickly reinstalled from the cloud on an asneeded basis.

 

[Edwardoka]

It's not just about sketchy apps (of which there are very, very many) it's the way the OS is bundled with devices that's compromised.

Hardware vendors can say "we're not updating this device's android version and we're not providing any support for this device" whilst simultaneously making it very difficult or in some cases impossible for end users to install a custom version.

If you look into rooting android devices to do so, it all looks incredibly shady, the search results are full of malware and that's before you acknowledge the very high chance of a legitimate ROM bricking your phone.

A relative's tablet is stuck on android 4.1. That's the equivalent of running Windows XP, and about as secure as putting a post-it note on your bank card with your pin number on. And there's literally no way to update it.

 

[ColinJ]

I only ever download apps from the playstore...

It's funny... One minute ago I was checking to see if a certain name had been used for an app and found that unfortunately it has. The game app in question is available for download directly from [some_random_dodgy_looking_website.com]. I just commented to a friend that somebody would have to be stupid or mad to risk doing that!

 

[Drago]

I don't have a smartphone.

 

[classic33]

I don't have a smartphone.

Tablet?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Tablet?

@Drago chisels his posts in a slab of granite then takes it to the nearest ANPR camera. The ANPR is plugged in to the national crime database which through a TOR network posts the decoded chiselled letters into Cyclechat.