Android App Security Risk
Linked by David Adams on Thu 24th Jun 2010 16:22 UTC, submitted by Governa
Privacy, Security, Encryption About 20 percent of third-party apps available through the Android marketplace allow third-party access to sensitive data, and can do things like make calls and send texts without the owners' knowledge, according to a recent security report from security firm SMobile Systems. There's no indication that any of the highlighted apps is malicious, but the report does underscore the inherent risks of a more open ecosystem as opposed to Apple's oppressive yet more controlled environment, with every app being vetted before availability.
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nt_jerkface
Member since:
2009-08-26

Those are security defects, which indeed require patching, in the Android operating system,


It's a very poor design that will likely be exploited.

As much as geeks lament the locked down nature of the App store it does have a pristine security record.

There's more to improving the security of applications than your list shows, there is also developer verification which is part of the App store application process.

As for binary security checks they can be performed with software. Not 100% effective but when combined with developer verification you have a strong deterrent.

You can be dismissive of the app store but it has an excellent security record that cannot be denied.

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