Comment: Re:Google Needs To Get Their Ass In Gear (Score 1) 280
I disagree. Here's why.
"Although I seriously doubt Symantec's 5 million number is right,...." I could see it. According to Gartner, "smartphone sales to end users reached 115 million units in the third quarter of 2011. The Android OS accounted for 52.5 percent of smartphone sales to end users in the third quarter of 2011 more than doubling its market share from the third quarter of 2010." Add in the Android phones sold prior to third quarter 2011 that are still in use.
Now we are talking about an under 10% successful infection. That doesn't grab headlines. Of course, an anti-virus vendor who happens to sell "end point protection" at $29 a year for their Pro version may have a financial incentive to make sure they are in news.
Phones are appliances, and trying to handle malware the same way we handle it on computers (which is to say, after the fact) is not going to work.
Smartphones are not appliances. Quit thinking of them as such. They are small, portable computers that meet most of the end user's needs. Hence the popularity. As their primary function is to make a phone call, perhaps the GUI does not fit into our typical "this is a computer" mindset. In the same way, VoIP phones and networks have been a target for years. For example, the Cisco 7940 has webserver built in. Again, a small computer.
Google needs to keep their market open. There's not the barriers to entry Apple has erected. I'll give you they do need to co-operate with the authorities.The key here is educating the user base. This in terms of tools (anti-virus software) as well as habits (don't go here on the web).
Links:
- Cisco Voip hacking from 2006 (?)
http://www.blackhat.com/presentations/bh-usa-06/BH-US-06-Endler.pdf
Gartner
http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1848514
And as I live in the U.S., land of the free, the following disclaimer applies: The above material is presented strictly for educational purposes