10% of Android Apps Contain Malicious Code

One more reason to stick with Apple?

And I had just sworn off my iPhone!
Another one of those Dan’s New Leaf Posts, meant to inspire thought about IT Governance . . . .

Ever since I made fun of a friend for bending his iPhone 6, people have been asking me when I’m going to get “a big phone.”

I like my iPhone 4s, even if it is too small.  In fact, I tell my friends that if I wanted a tablet I’d get an iPad, not an iPhone 6!

But I admit the main reason I haven’t upgraded has nothing to do with size, and everything to do with time.  Some would say I’m too cheap to upgrade, and they are right!  But it’s not the cost of the phone that keeps me “ancient.”  It’s the time it takes to learn the new device.

I have found that rushing out to upgrade to the latest and greatest takes more time than waiting until it’s no longer late, and it might be even more great!

But we really should blame Apple for my stubborn refusal to upgrade.  I mean, BEFORE it was time to get my “free upgrade” when I had the Android phone, I needed it . . . . because my phone was falling apart.

But when I got my first iPhone . . . . the 4s I still use now . . . . the one thing that struck me about it was “this phone actually works.”  Not only did it work better, but it is STILL working better, while a couple of my co-workers have burned through two Android phones in the time I’m still using this phone.

And that saves me time, because learning a new phone is very time consuming and, during the heat of a busy day, can also be very frustrating.

But then recently, after engaging with a bank that has given all management a Microsoft Surface Tablet, I started thinking maybe I will look into them there Android devices, again.  I mean, my first smartphone was an Android, and I still struggle with fat fingers on a virtual keyboard.  Plus every where you look there are advertisements telling about how the newer phones in the Android and Microsoft space have better features than the iPhone.

And better features mean more productivity . . . . as in . . . . saving time!!

Meanwhile, my darn iPhone updates something about every ten minutes.  Applications and operating system updates are draining bandwidth that I don’t have when I’m at home.

But then I read this article, citing a study that one in ten Android applications have malicious code embedded in them.  Wow.  One in ten.

I realize the study is conducted, in part, by Chinese researchers . . . . they’re probably trying to find the malicious code so they can improve on how they embed malicious code in their own app factories.  But the bottom line to me is that because Apple still controls access to the “App Store,” versus the wild west approach to the Android and Microsoft app markets, this security professional is going to continue saving time, and when he does upgrade, the next device is going to stay in the Apple family.

Read the article here!

Original article by Dan Hadaway CRISC CISA CISM. Founder and Managing Partner, infotex

“Dan’s New Leaf” is a “fun blog to inspire thought in the area of IT Governance.”