Shulou(Shulou.com)05/31 Report--

If you are still running Android 6.0 or earlier, you will be vulnerable to malware, according to consumer regulators. At present, more than a billion Android devices worldwide are no longer supported by security updates, and they are all very vulnerable targets.

According to statistics, 40% of Android devices no longer receive important security updates from Google, which puts them at greater risk of malware or other security vulnerabilities. Android 10 is the latest version, and although it and its predecessors Android 9 (Pie) and 8 (Oreo) are still receiving security updates, using any device lower than Android 8 poses a security risk.

According to data published by Google last year, about 40 per cent of Android active users worldwide use version 6.0 or earlier: Marshmallow (2015), Lollipop (2014), KitKat (2013), Jellybean (2012), Ice Cream Sandwich (2011) and Gingerbread (2010). According to the policy in the Android Security Bulletin, no security patches for Android systems below version 7. 0 (Nougat) were released in 2019.

This means that more than 1 billion phones and tablets around the world are active but will no longer receive security updates. A lot of Android devices that have been in use for three years have been purchased for verification, and most of them can only run Android 7.0. The results show that security experts hired by consumer groups can infect all devices with malware, some of which can be infected multiple times.

All the phones under test were successfully infected by Joker (also known as Bread) malware. In addition, every device tested was also infected by Bluefrag, which is a serious security vulnerability aimed at Android Bluetooth components.

In fact, questions such as how long updates should be provided for smart devices so that consumers can make informed purchase decisions and how customers can get better information about their choices once security updates are no longer available, there should be more transparency.

Google says it has been working to improve the security of Android devices. They provide monthly security updates, bug fixes and other protection measures, and continue to work with hardware and carrier partners to ensure a fast and secure experience for Android users.

However, the time to deliver operating system security updates depends on the device, manufacturer, and mobile operator. Because smartphone manufacturers customize parts of the Android operating system, they often deploy patches and updates more slowly than Google deploys on their own devices, or none at all.

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