According to Google, less than 1% of devices running Android have been found to have Potentially Harmful Apps or PHAs installed.
The Android platform is known to be plagued by a reputation for being an operating system riddled with malware.
Adrian Ludwig, Google's chief technical officer for Android , debunked a number of myths about the operating system's malware and spyware in his speech at the RSA Conference yesterday.
Among these, he highlighted some of the hypotheses circulating on the internet that refer to the ever-increasing spread of malware, that most devices are not protected, and that all malicious programs can put devices at risk.
Ludwig essentially stated that all Android users have built-in protection systems in their operating system. The Google operating system security expert simply stated that mobile malware can be classified and isolated, and that mobile malware is not actually increasing.
Google's goal for keeping Android secure is to make the best security tools available on the platform — whatever the cost — and then make those services free to everyone, Ludwig promised.
The Android Security Model resembles the basic diagram of a typical product security model. In the case of Android, it consists of platform assurance, application isolation, device integrity, and enterprise services (also known as Android for Work).
Ludwig emphasized that there are millions of lines of code in Android Open Source, hundreds of OEMs, ISVs, and security solutions within the Android system.
When it comes to security, the company's strategy still uses a lot of different methods.
Some of the initial safeguards used by Google include app verification and the Android Safety Net, which has scanned and verified over a billion devices in the last year according to ZDNet.
Only less than one percent of devices have been found to have a Potentially Harmful App (PHA) installed, according to the company.
As expected, the increased usability of Google Play has resulted in a decrease in PHAs. The percentage of PHAs installed fell by 50% in 2014, Ludwig said. Spyware installations have dropped by 90% since last year.
There are some exceptions to the rule, however. Describing “regional variations,” Ludwig highlighted that in Russia and China, PHA installations are significantly higher.
"There is no uniformity in what users are experiencing," Ludwig said, reiterating that findings may vary by geographic region.
Source: secnews.gr
