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Up to three-quarters of Android users are at risk of being hacked because they are running on out-dated security patches. Mobile threat analysts Skycure claim that 71 per cent of the five biggest Android devices are running on security patches that are at least two months old (supposedly, too old to be secure).
Monitoring network sensors around the world, Skycure also revealed that 11 major US cities are at risk of network blackout, with Boston seeing a 960% increase in incidents in the past 12 months. Incidents include malicious attacks in smartphones, tablets and other wireless devices. Devices with known vulnerabilities that are unpatched are more susceptible to being breached. The figure supports Google’s security report earlier this month that stated that half of all Android devices had not received a security update in the past year.
Roger Entner of Recon Analytics said that smartphone users are foolishly overlooking their security in favour of perfomance. Loosely Quoting Franklin, he said: "Those who trade convenience for security shall have neither — and that is true with security updates. Nothing ruins performance as when spyware and malware is active on your phone.”
Android began releasing month security patches in late 2015 after the discovery of the Stagefright vulnerability. However, it is up to the individual user to update the security patch when it becomes available.
Android devices are not alone in the fight against hackers. Apple is currently embroiled in a war with a group of cyber hackers who are threatening to wipe up to 600 million iCloud accounts. While Apple insists it has not suffered a breach, the hackers want a $150,000 bitcoin ransom to surrender the data.
Cyber security is equally relevant in the UK at the moment, with recent figures revealing that more than 20,000 government and public sector employees have legal access to the general public’s internet records.
