FBI warning for older Android-versions

According to the FBI, the majority of mobile malware focuses on devices that run Android. This is due to the fact that over 30 percent of Android devices still runs on Gingerbread, or versions 2.3.3 through 2.3.7. This version contains several security threats which are being exploited by malware.

Android main target of malware attacks

Research done by Homeland Security and the FBI shows that 79 percent of all malware attacks were aimed at Android devices. The OS Symbian from Nokia is the runner up, with 19 percent of all malware attacks aimed at it. The remaining two percent is roughly equally divided between Blackberry OS, iOS and Windows Phone.

The FBI and Homeland Security are worried because an increasing number of federal, state and local authorities are using Android-smartphones. They suggest updating your smartphone’s OS regularly, but in the case of Android this may be impossible.

Often companies like HTC, Samsung or Sony don’t release new updates for phones that are barely a year old. There are steps that can be taken to decrease the possibility of a succesful malware-attack though, as outlined in the following document.