Android More Secure Than iPhone, Says Google Chairman
Google's chairman is confident Android is the stronger platform.
Smartphones are an integral part of our lives and they have access to all kinds of sensitive data. As such, the issue of smartphone security is a growing concern among users. Is my data safe? Am I vulnerable because of my device's ecosystem? Well, if you're trying to decide on Android or iPhone, Eric Schmidt says the former is more secure.
Of course, Schmidt, a long time Googler, is somewhat biased, but it's a bold statement nonetheless. ZDNet reports that Google's chairman on Monday told attendees at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo that Android was more secure than the iPhone. This statement was made in response to Gartner Analyst David Willis's point that many people believe Android is not secure.
"Not secure? It's more secure than the iPhone," Schmidt is quoted as saying.
Though he didn't go into much detail, Schmidt said that with over a billion users, the Android platform goes through rigorous real-world security testing. Of course, such a wide userbase means Android is an attractive target for cyber criminals (where users are or aren't users aren't downloading the malware). In August, a report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revealed that malicious hackers have designed 79 percent of all mobile malware to target Android systems. Rather surprisingly, iOS wasn't in second place, despite its popularity. Instead, the second most targeted system was Symbian.
Regardless of the platform you use, there are certain ways you can keep your data safe. For one, you should keep WiFi and Bluetooth turned off unless you're using them. You should also install a mobile security suite. Our own Marshall Honorof cites chief technology officer of AVG Technologies, Yuval Ben-Itzhak, as saying customers should also uninstall social networking applications. The HTML versions are easier on your battery and more secure.
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It was not long ago when iOS controlled almost the whole smartphone industry. Yet ...there were no malware or scam apps in ios app store, unlike Google Play. Some people see Apple's app policy as too harsh but I think it's okay. At least I don't second guess myself when I download an app
Just that makes Android much less secure.
Dear Mr Chairman; Please seek professional counselling. You are living in some fantasy world.
Curious, what kind of phone do you use?
Curious, what kind of phone do you use?
An unlocked Nexus 4 with aftermarket firewall and antivirus software. Still looking for an alternative
I have always rooted and modded my phones to my liking, and always employed common sense when choosing which apps to install and where from. NEVER had any malware/infection on any of my devices (currently own several of them).
Currently, Android is very secure IF the end user does NOT fiddle with the security settings (like USB debugging, rooting, allowing installs from unknown sources, and the like). I have personally done all of the above, but again, I have always taken care and used common sense (and a bit of knowledge) when picking apps to install (reading the permission list always helps, as well).
I always choose to trust my own judgement before trusting choices made for me by others (like a corporation).
Bottom line is, you don't have to mess with the default settings on your phone just because someone you know has done it before. This way your phone will be secure enough, just use common sense and/or knowledge. If you lack both, stay the f... out of security settings section.
Curious, what kind of phone do you use?
An unlocked Nexus 4 with aftermarket firewall and antivirus software. Still looking for an alternative
Yeah, I was kind of wondering. Your comment was a bit like Churchill's "Democracy is the worst form of government comment" without the latter part. When you find a more secure alternative, let me know.
*goes back to his Windows phone, which nobody cares about enough to make a virus for*
"except for all those others that have been tried." Unfortunately, this isn't the case with smart phones. Our current options are all pretty bad, windows phones included. It won't get better until data collection becomes an opt-in instead of an opt-out. Blame your congressmen for this debacle.
Also, when was the last time true democracy was tried? Every modern "democratic" government is actually a republic.
If you create another account just for your kids, and secure your own, you'll need to do nothing tomorrow.
Otherwise, it would be similar to letting your kids play with your PC while the admin account is logged in. Good luck with that.
Let me see iOS do that for you. If you give your kids your iPhone, by tomorrow they;ll have about $400 worth of apps on it, ran out of memory and bogged down as hell.
All the others are Android-BASED, and the responsibility for updates falls directly with the manufacturer, since they use an altered version of Android OS.
A lot of people STILL don't get that, despite their claims of being educated on the subject. That makes this whole debate moot.