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Android Security – How Effective?
Google’s Android operating system is the most widely used mobile software system in the world. Its activation rate is increasing at a steadily. It is an advanced mobile OS that was designed keeping both the developer and the user in mind. However, Android is a big target for makers of malicious software. This brings into question the Android phone security.
As an operating system, Android is very secured. It has multiple layers of security that provides the flexibility required for an open platform, while providing protection for all users and keeping malware at bay. It requires the user’s specific permission to do almost anything that could lead to the user’s data or the system being compromised. It prevents processes from collecting too much information without permission, so no app or process can get access to the system level without suitable privileges, and the user is generally aware of what’s happening. Moreover, users can see how applications work, and they can control it. Android was designed to reduce the probability of common attacks, and to limit the impact of a successful attack.
To get installed, an app has to get through Google Play or an unknown sources warning (if it’s enabled). Then, the user has to confirm the installation. After that, it has to get past the “Verify Apps” security feature of Google. “Verify apps” security mechanism intervenes when an app is downloaded, makes a comparison of this to a huge database of malware information created by Google and sends a warning message to the user if the application is harmful potentially. “Verify apps” is also distributed to previous Android versions by adding it in updates to Google Play. Evaluating and blocking the apps is by default enabled unless a user chooses to make it disabled and cancel its defense. Later, the app is restricted to permissions granted to it earlier, and then Android phone security checks it again whenever the app starts.
However, although Android has many layers of defense, it is designed to protect mainly itself. That is, if the app isn’t interested in control over the device, the multi-layered protection only defends at the point of installation. The unaddressed issue is if capturing data is the basic purpose of a malware. This puts the responsibility upon the user to be attentive about which applications to install.
In the end, the user should always keep in mind that malwares exist, they are out there, and the threat is real. Even if the security companies exaggerate sometimes about how big are the types of threats in the Android system, users should not feel comfortable installing apps from unreliable websites thinking that Android’s defenses are enough to defend their phone. Some measures are always to be taken, which raises the question: what tips should users follow to be on the safe side when it comes to using Android?
About Author
This article has been written by Peter M. who is a passionate technology geek. He works for APKpalace that offers simple ways to deal with Android issues.