According to Which?,over a billion Android devices are vulnerable to hacking attacksas they are no longer protected by security.
This means that a huge number of users around the world are at risk, as attackers can steal data, install malware on devices, demand ransom, and more.
According to Which?, users who should be most concerned are those using Android phones released in 2012 and earlier.
Which? said it informed Google about the risk, but its response did not reassure it.
Google data shows that 42.1% of Android users are running version 6.0 of the operating system or an older version.
However, according to the Android security bulletin, during 2019, no security patches were released for Android versions prior to version 7.0.
Based on this data, Which? concluded that two in five users are no longer receiving security updates.
Then, the company examined five phones:
- Motorola X
- Samsung Galaxy A5
- Sony Xperia Z2
- LG / Google Nexus 5
- Samsung Galaxy S6
Which? asked AV Comparative, which offers anti-virus services, to infect the above phones with malware. The result was to cause multiple infections on the smartphones, since they had no protection.
As we said above, Which? informed Google about the problem but the tech company provided no assurance that it has any plan to help users who are not protected by security updates.
Which? stressed that both Google and other companies need to be more precise about the length of time for which smart devices will receive security.
Also, phone manufacturers should ensure support for their customers when security updates are no longer available.
An executive at Which? said it was very worrying that many expensive devices have such a short lifespan, as they no longer receive security updates, leaving millions of users at the mercy of hackers.
"Phone manufacturers and Google need to be precise about security updates – with clear information about how long they will last and what customers should do when they stop rolling out."
According to the company, governments should also pressure manufacturers and technology companies regarding consumer safety.
How do you check if your phone is vulnerable and what can you do?
- If you have an Android device that is more than two years old, check if it can be updated to a newer version of the operating system. If you are running a version older than Android 7.0 Nougat, try updating device by following the steps below: Settings > System > Advanced > System update.
- If you can't update, phone is vulnerable to hacking attacks, especially if you're running Android 4 or older.
- If this is the case, you should be very careful about downloading apps, especially from stores other than the Google Play Store.
- Also, you must be careful with suspicious SMS or MMS messages.
- Back up to at least two places (hard drive and cloud service).
- Install a mobile anti-virus, but keep in mind that options are limited for older phones.
