Over 50% Of Android Users Vulnerable To Malware And Data Theft: Survey

A recent survey conducted by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab highlightsthat over 50% of Android-based smartphone and tablet owners do not use any security software to protect their devices against cyber-threats. Meanwhile, Android has long been the most popular platform for ordinary users and the cybercriminals who would use malware to steal from them.

Only 40% of smartphone and 42% of tablet owners participating in the survey stated that they have installed a security solution on their devices and are now using it. Other respondents are content to rely on the limited security features integrated in the OS, or trust their own instincts to keep them safe.

Meanwhile, for cybercriminals Android is well-established as the top target among all mobile platforms. According to the Kaspersky Lab cloud service Kaspersky Security Network, which accumulates data about urgent cyber-threats, 99% of current malware samples targeting mobile devices have been developed for the Android platform. And this threat is growing: in 2012 Kaspersky Lab specialists detected 35,000 malicious samples while in the first half of 2013 - over 47,000.

There are two main reasons why cybercriminals are interested in the Android platform: popularity and functionality. A malicious program can make a smartphone send text-messages to premium-rate short numbers, thus stealing money from the user’s account; it can turn the smartphone into a spying device, giving the fraudsters information about the device owner - all calls, correspondence, passwords to social network and e-pay accounts, etc. In other words, all the communication, entertainment and computing capabilities of Android-based devices are just as popular with criminals as they are with regular users.

There’s another serious risk which can have unpleasant consequences - the high probability of devices being lost or stolen. For many people smartphones and tablets have become the main place to store their favorite photos and videos, correspondence with friends and family, working papers and other valuable information which must not fall into the wrong hands.

Yet not even this rapid rise of threats can prevent Android from remaining a convenient and useful platform for many tasks. Kaspersky advises users of Android-based devices to protect their smartphones and tablets with a high-quality solution in the Internet Security class.

Fixing Android security problems

In order to protect users of Android-based devices, Kaspersky Lab has developed Kaspersky Internet Security for Android, an advanced solution to safeguard popular smartphones and tablets. The solution integrates newly developed technologies for detecting cyber-threats based on extensive antivirus databases which receive updates within a few minutes of any new malware sample or dangerous link being identified in the Kaspersky Security Network cloud.

In addition, Kaspersky Lab’s product includes a set of intellectual mechanisms which can proactively detect even the newest unknown threats by monitoring their behavior. Personal data stored on the device is protected with the help of special functions which can hide private contacts, calls and texts. If a mobile device is lost or stolen, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android has a dedicated set of mechanisms which prevent crooks from accessing the personal data.

The free version contains basic antivirus functionality (user-activated scanning) and all remote device management facilities. Using the integrated in-app purchase system, users can upgrade to Premium level which, in addition to the free functionality, provides advanced antivirus mechanisms, including automatic scans of every downloaded app, real-time protection from emerging threats and web protection to combat phishing attacks. The premium version also includes features to manage personal information - including the option of hiding contacts, calls, messages and their history from prying eyes.

Kaspersky Internet Security for Android is available as separate product on Kaspersky Lab’s official site as well as at Android Apps on Google Play. In addition it will be included in Kaspersky Internet Security - Multi-Device, the solution developed to protect several devices running on different operating systems, which is due to be launched in autumn 2013.