A recent survey conducted by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab
highlights that over 50% of Android-based smartphone and tablet owners do not
use any security software to protect their devices against cyber-threats.
Meanwhile, Android has long been the most popular platform for ordinary users
and the cybercriminals who would use malware to steal from them.
Only 40% of smartphone and 42% of tablet owners participating in the survey
stated that they have installed a security solution on their devices and are now
using it. Other respondents are content to rely on the limited security features
integrated in the OS, or trust their own instincts to keep them safe.
Meanwhile, for cybercriminals Android is well-established as the top target
among all mobile platforms. According to the Kaspersky Lab cloud service
Kaspersky Security Network, which accumulates data about urgent cyber-threats,
99% of current malware samples targeting mobile devices have been developed for
the Android platform. And this threat is growing: in 2012 Kaspersky Lab
specialists detected 35,000 malicious samples while in the first half of 2013 –
over 47,000.
There are two main reasons why cybercriminals are interested in the Android
platform: popularity and functionality. A malicious program can make a
smartphone send text-messages to premium-rate short numbers, thus stealing money
from the user’s account; it can turn the smartphone into a spying device, giving
the fraudsters information about the device owner - all calls, correspondence,
passwords to social network and e-pay accounts, etc. In other words, all the
communication, entertainment and computing capabilities of Android-based devices
are just as popular with criminals as they are with regular users.
There’s another serious risk which can have unpleasant consequences – the
high probability of devices being lost or stolen. For many people smartphones
and tablets have become the main place to store their favorite photos and
videos, correspondence with friends and family, working papers and other
valuable information which must not fall into the wrong hands.
Yet not even this rapid rise of threats can prevent Android from remaining
a convenient and useful platform for many tasks. Kaspersky advises users of
Android-based devices to protect their smartphones and tablets with a
high-quality solution in the Internet Security class.
Fixing Android security problems
In order to protect users of Android-based devices, Kaspersky Lab has
developed Kaspersky Internet Security for Android, an advanced solution to
safeguard popular smartphones and tablets. The solution integrates newly
developed technologies for detecting cyber-threats based on extensive antivirus
databases which receive updates within a few minutes of any new malware sample
or dangerous link being identified in the Kaspersky Security Network
cloud.
In addition, Kaspersky Lab’s product includes a set of intellectual
mechanisms which can proactively detect even the newest unknown threats by
monitoring their behavior. Personal data stored on the device is protected with
the help of special functions which can hide private contacts, calls and texts.
If a mobile device is lost or stolen, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android
has a dedicated set of mechanisms which prevent crooks from accessing the
personal data.
The free version contains basic antivirus functionality (user-activated
scanning) and all remote device management facilities. Using the integrated
in-app purchase system, users can upgrade to Premium level which, in addition to
the free functionality, provides advanced antivirus mechanisms, including
automatic scans of every downloaded app, real-time protection from emerging
threats and web protection to combat phishing attacks. The premium version also
includes features to manage personal information - including the option of
hiding contacts, calls, messages and their history from prying eyes.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Android is available as separate product on
Kaspersky Lab’s official site as well as at Android Apps on Google Play. In
addition it will be included in Kaspersky Internet Security – Multi-Device, the
solution developed to protect several devices running on different operating
systems, which is due to be launched in autumn 2013.
Source: BizTech2.com
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