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For Android worshippers, however, the picture is mixed. Their fate largely depends on how conscientious the manufacturer of their device is about keeping them up to date and safe from security vulnerabilities. Some, such as Google and LG, are pretty good. Some, like Motorola, Samsung, Sony, HTC and ASUS, are moderately conscientious. And the rest are, frankly, disgraceful. They just make cheap phones, install a version of Android on them and leave users to their fate.
The result is a world in which millions of people connect to the Internet using phones that are riddled with security holes. A glance at the number of red flags on the IT Security Database of Android vulnerabilities confirms that, but we didn’t really have finer-grain information on the extent of the problem – until now. On 8 October, researchers at Cambridge University’s Computer Laboratory published a sobering reportsuggesting that 87% of Android devices are insecure. These devices, the researchers say, are vulnerable to attack by malicious apps and messages.
