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posted by Fnord666 on Saturday March 07 2020, @06:39AM   Printer-friendly
from the planned-obsolescence dept.

One billion Android devices at risk of hacking:

More than a billion Android devices are at risk of being hacked because they are no longer protected by security updates, watchdog Which? has suggested.

The vulnerability could leave users around the world exposed to the danger of data theft, ransom demands and other malware attacks.

Anyone using an Android phone released in 2012 or earlier should be especially concerned, it said.

[...] Google's own data suggests that 42.1% of Android users worldwide are on version 6.0 of its operating system or below.

According to the Android security bulletin, there were no security patches issued for the Android system in 2019 for versions below 7.0.

[...] How to check whether your phone is vulnerable and what to do

  • If your Android device is more than two years old, check whether it can be updated to a newer version of the operating system. If you are on an earlier version than Android 7.0 Nougat, try to update via Settings SystemAdvanced System update
  • If you can't update, your phone could be at risk of being hacked, especially if you are running a version of Android 4 or lower. If this is the case be careful about downloading apps outside the Google Play store
  • Also be wary of suspicious SMS or MMS messages
  • Back up data in at least two places (a hard drive and a cloud service)
  • Install a mobile anti-virus via an app, but bear in mind that the choice is limited for older phones

More than a billion hopelessly vulnerable Android gizmos in the wild that no longer receive security updates – research:

File this one under "well, duh." Consumer mag Which? today published research estimating that over a billion Android devices are vulnerable to hackers and malware as they are not receiving security updates.

Data obtained from Google by the publication found that 42.1 per cent of active Android users are languishing on version 6.0 or earlier.

The most current version of Android is version 10, while Android 9.0 Pie and Android 8.0 Oreo continue to receive updates. The Chocolate Factory is expected to release a major update to the world's most popular mobile operating system, Android 11, later this year.

Anything below Android 8.0, therefore, is vulnerable. Extrapolating from the data, Which? believes that almost one billion Android phones are inherently vulnerable.

Compounding the problem is the proliferation of older devices on sites like Amazon, where they're sold by third parties. The mag bought a handful of phones – including the Motorola X, Sony Xperia Z2, and Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 – and found they were susceptible to a host of long-discovered vulnerabilities, including Stagefright, Bluefrag and the Joker Android malware.

Which? is encouraging those with older phones who can't update to take sensible precautions – such as avoiding side-loaded apps and ensuring their data is backed up.

Previously:
Vulnerability in Fully Patched Android Phones Under Active Attack by Bank Thieves
Major Security Bug Called StrandHogg Discovered in All Android Versions


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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Dr Spin on Saturday March 07 2020, @07:55AM

    by Dr Spin (5239) on Saturday March 07 2020, @07:55AM (#967847)

    As I understand the report, these are all still in use. Maybe not by the original owner, but by a relative - or someone who bought second hand.

    The world is not totally composed of people with money to spend on stupidness.

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