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Android application securityAndroid application securityPosted Feb 7, 2009 6:03 UTC (Sat) by dlang (✭ supporter ✭, #313)In reply to: Android application security by jake Parent article: Android application security
I don't doubt that there is malware available for the blackberry.
but it's enough for malware to just be available for there to be a significant security problem, there needs to be a way for that malware to be run.
on windows systems this happens through network holes or application flaws when seeing specific content.
on the blackberry (and the Android) this requires that the user actually install the malware.
that doesn't mean that bad things don't happen, but it does mean that the scale of them happening is low enough that it doesn't generate any attention.
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Android application security Posted Feb 7, 2009 17:08 UTC (Sat) by jake (editor, #205) [Link]
> on windows systems this happens through network holes or application flaws when seeing specific content.
that's certainly one vector, but people installing malware on windows (and elsewhere) is pretty common. spyware, adware, etc. come with the latest codec that has to be installed to see the cool video of the day, etc.
less than clueful users (and even some clueful ones) voluntarily install dubious stuff on their computers all the time, why do we expect mobile phones to be any different?
jake
Android application security Posted Feb 8, 2009 8:54 UTC (Sun) by dlang (✭ supporter ✭, #313) [Link]
mobile phones are not receiving spam targeted at them or seeing the same barage of advertisements that a desktop user sees.
the spam thing may change (especially if there is a way to identify vunerable users), but the number of portable users is much less than the number if normal computer users, and the connectivity of the portable users is significantly less (although it may be on full-time). as a result taking over thse system is less attractive to the bad guys.
the smaller screen means that a 'typical web page' with a paragraph of info surrounded by advertisements is unreadable, so users don't go there, or if they do, would have to go to extra effort to see the advertisements.
so, for all these reasons, I just don't see the mobile malware problem ever getting as bad as the windows malware problem currently is.
Android application security Posted Feb 9, 2009 18:13 UTC (Mon) by bronson (subscriber, #4806) [Link]
> for all these reasons, I just don't see the mobile malware problem ever getting as bad as the windows malware problem currently is.
You don't see mobile malware bringing entire power distribution grids to their knees? Or infecting 1 in 3 handsets? Or spawning a $500 million / year industry devoted to broken-by-design antivirus snake oil?
Well, that's a relief! Guess we don't need to worry about it then.
Android application security Posted Feb 11, 2009 10:40 UTC (Wed) by job (guest, #670) [Link]
Smartphones and PDAs aren't new. Symbian and Palm has orders of magnitude more user installable software than iPhone and Android. I fail to see the 1-in-3-handsets malware you speak of.
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