The 10 Biggest Android Security Threats In 2018

Mobile Madness

Attackers are most interested in targeting the devices where people spend most of their time since that's where they're likely to be more vulnerable, according to Matt Cooke, senior product marketing manager at Oxfordshire, England-based Sophos. And as users have moved from spending time predominantly on their laptops to primarily using mobile devices, he said the attackers have followed.

Additionally, laptops and endpoint devices in a corporate network typically have much stronger security controls on them than mobile devices, which Cooke said often haven't really been locked down yet. Since less effort is required to go after a mobile device, Cooke said they've become an easier target.

As a result, Cooke said Android security threats continue to accelerate, with the number of Android-based malware samples going from 4 million in all of 2017 to 5 million in the first eight months of 2018 alone. And although the type of threats organizations see on mobile devices are similar to those witnessed on laptops, how firms go about gaining visibility and responding to them differs dramatically.

As part of CRN's Cybersecurity Week 2018, here's a look at ten of the most significant Android security threats.