Google-commissioned study finds that Android is really insecure

One of Android’s biggest weaknesses is that there’s a ridiculous number of security flaws and vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit to steal people’s information or take control of their devices. This is something that’s become painfully apparent to Android users in recent months with the discovery of things like Stagefright, and now there’s actual research to back it up. Google recently helped fund a study from the University of Cambridge, which found that Android’s lack of quick updates makes it so that more than 80% of Android devices are at risk to critical vulnerabilities.  

The lack of fast updates across the Android ecosystem means that more than 80 percent of device owners are at risk to at least one critical vulnerability. That’s according to a study from the University of Cambridge, which was partially funded by Google. The study shows that while Google can make the latest version of Android safe from all vulnerabilities, its inability to get the updates out to every Android phone in a timely fashion makes most of the ecosystem unsafe. Even being one or two patches behind could put smartphone owners at risk of vulnerabilities like Stagefright, which is capable of taking over devices and infecting them with malware. In the study, each mobile vendor was graded based on security with scores from 1 to 10. Nexus devices ranked the highest at 5.2, followed by LG at 4.0, and Motorola at 3.1. Samsung came in fourth at 2.1, followed by Sony, and finally, HTC. Samsung and LG both confirmed plans to stick on course with Google’s monthly updates, but HTC claimed that goal was unrealistic due to carrier testing. AT&T and Verizon Wireless have both been accused of routinely pausing updates, and blocking certain features like Google Wallet on Android devices.