Android Information Security At Question

What are the information risks conserning mobile devices with Android OS?

With a short study about Android information security, it is safe to say that in the todays market, information security on mobile platforms is still taking babysteps. There are number of big companies who have acknowledged the field, especially as an unconquered market, and are currently offering their own services. These companies list names such as: F-Secure, Symantec, Kaspersky and Webroot. But the field still lacks the fullhearted effort of hobbyists and semi-professionals.

Current setting leads to few big names, running the show, taking money not really having to do that good of a job. Just because nothing better is in the markets, and it is better to have some protection, than nothing at all.
This is not an excuse to hold back developement especially in a field that is expanding as fast as mobile technologies are doing right now. Main concern for mobile users in general, is the speed of their individual system. Question of how fast can they achieve what they want, where-ever they want. A few years back it was still more convinient to find the nearest computercafe if affairs needed to be attended to whist on the move. Now quad-core processor mobile”phones” with 4G network, make the activities over handheld devices ever so convinient. 
 
Exept the simple fact that depending on your habits on the web, you might more than easily be infected with a virus. A new breed of computer-virus that can utilize all of your precious mobile devise's extended capabilites: Read your message history, get your call history and even track your current position on this elliptic water covered rock of a planet. Worst case scenario, you have bought something using your creditcard-numbers, thus risking all your finances.

So it is clear that some sort of protection is needed on any modern mobile platform.

Viruses tend to go, where the money is. And currenty it is most cost-efficient to produce viruses for Android platform. That is because iPhone uses iTunes store, that is the only place you are able to download any additional content to iPhone, apart from the ones of your own making. That makes the application database easily manageable, thus better protected. In Android, anyone can publish a website filled with fully downloadable applications. Lack of regulation makes it easy to get malicious software on the move. It is true that android has it's own Google Play- store, that is regulated. Still, freedom of individual application dispersion creates opportunities, but as a sideproduct, multiple risksfactors are born. 
 
Android phones are in comparison, cheaper, easier to modify, and all in all more straightfotward. Wich has resulred in wide spread of the platform around the world. Like said before, viruses go where the money is, at least the most dangerous ones do.

That is the exact reason that, now that I have decided to purcase a Tablet PC with Android OS on it, I decided to go with WiFi capabilities with no support for 3G networks. Beeing in touch with everything, all the time, means also that everyone can be in touch with you, all the time. And that is not exactly what I'm looking for. That and also the fact that 3G capability cost's about 100€ depending on the model and the distributor.

Still the best form of information security remains to be, and probably always will be, common sense. Downloading applications only from trusted sites is a good advice. Limiting yourself to using only properly protected devices while using online banking, should'nt be too inconvinient. In a sense, older generations are smarter, in their mistrust of these new technologies. It seems as if it is commonly taken for granted, amongst younger generations, that the system we are sold, is properly protected by the manufacturers and diffirent mobile operators.



What is to be done to ensure our continued safety over this explosively expanding mobile world. To me, it is increasing the awareness, and making the ”big boys” a run for their money, by developing a free, mobile information security software, that rivals the current commercial models.

I have yet to seen one.

What do you think about Android Informationsecuritywise?
What protection do you use with your smartphone?

Thank you for reading! This was actually a paper I made for one of my courses I'm taking. Back to shcool. Let's see if others like this find their way in here :)

Good times!
-Juho