Android malware and mitigations

Abstract

Just as the ubiquitous nature of Windows made it an enticing target for malware writers and cyber-criminals, so it is with Android. The maliciously inclined have not been slow to exploit the popularity of the platform. Steve Mansfield-Devine examines the nature of the malware problem and how Google's open approach to distribution makes implementing countermeasures difficult. But mitigation is possible, and there are signs that something is finally being done about the problem. Android might be a victim of its own popularity. Just as the ubiquitous nature of Windows made it an enticing target for malware writers and cyber-criminals, so it is with Android. Google's mobile OS is on more smartphones than any other operating system and products such as the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 may finally result in Android gaining real traction in the tablet market. IDC estimates that more than 100 million Android smartphones were sold just in the first quarter of 2012, and in the third quarter, three out of four smartphones sold were running the OS. The maliciously inclined have not been slow to exploit this opportunity, but are they being helped by technical and procedural flaws in Android's architecture and the way apps are distributed?