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According to the boffins at Kaspersky Lab, users of Android devices running Gingerbread (Android 2.3.6) and Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.4) are targeted the most by cybercriminals. Gingerbread accounted for 28% of all the attempts to install malware that were successfully blocked by Kaspersky, while Ice Cream Sandwich accounted for 22%.

dweb-gingerbread Over half of the malware detected on Android devices by Kaspersky were, unsurprisingly, SMS Trojans designed to relieve the victim of money by sending SMS text messages to premium rate numbers without the users consent or knowledge. The most popular method of doing this, it would seem, is for malware to disguise itself as the OperaMini browser client such as all the programs that comprise the OpFake malware family which, with a 38.3% share, proved to be the most widespread in the malware market.

A fifth of all malicious programs detected on Android devices were what Kaspersky call 'versatile' Trojans, the vast majority belonging to the Plangton family which collect service data and transmit it to a command server to await further instructions. Those instructions include the ability to stealthily change bookmarks and home pages in order to facilitate phishing and other assorted money lifting scams.

Another security vendor, F-Secure, found that Android malware was on the rise in Q3: up to 51,447 unique samples from 5033 in Q2 and 3063 in Q1. This is also hardly surprising, considering that Android is now the most popular mobile OS by quite some margin. More than 70% of all the smartphones shipped in Q3 were running a version of the Android OS. What might come as a surprise for many is that Gingerbread is the most targeted Android OS version when it comes to malware, considering it was released way back in September 2011 and has long since seen more secure versions of the OS released.

Yuri Namestnikov, a senior malware analyst at Kaspersky Lab, has the answer why: "Due to the segmentation of the Android device market it still remains one of the most popular versions, which, in turn, attracts increased interest from cybercriminals. The popularity of the most recent version of the Android OS – Ice Cream Sandwich – among virus writers can be explained by the fact that the devices running the latest versions of the OS are more suitable for online activities. Unfortunately, users actively surfing the web often end up on malicious sites."

Sadly, according to security vendor Trend Micro, only 20% of Android users have any kind of security app installed in order to mitigate the growing security threat.

Edited by peter_budo because: Removing from sticky as is 1 month old
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debasisdas commented: Like it. +13

Dani AI

Generated

As noted, fragmentation and side‑loading create a long tail of vulnerable Android devices — attackers go where the easiest targets are. That historical lesson still matters: focus less on headlines and more on reducing your device or app attack surface.

Practical steps for users:

  • Keep the OS and apps current whenever updates are available.
  • Install apps only from trusted sources and verify the developer and reviews.
  • Review and remove unnecessary permissions (Settings → Apps → Permissions).
  • Avoid installing APKs from unknown sites or unsolicited links.
  • Use a strong screen lock and enable device encryption/backups.
  • Turn on two‑factor authentication for accounts and use a password manager.
  • If worried about premium‑rate billing, contact your carrier or check billing controls.

Developer practices to reduce abuse:

  • Ask only for the permissions you absolutely need; follow least privilege.
  • Move sensitive logic/server checks off the device (validate transactions and authorizations server‑side).
  • Use HTTPS with strict certificate handling (pin when appropriate) and store keys in the Android Keystore.
  • Protect exported components (avoid exposing services/receivers unnecessarily) and validate all inbound Intents.
  • Obfuscate critical code, monitor installs/analytics for abuse, and prefer managed distribution channels when delivering enterprise or paid apps — a point that echoes ’s consideration about platform choices and audience.

Quick example (runtime permission check for a sensitive permission):

if (ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.RECEIVE_SMS)
        != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
    ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this,
        new String[]{Manifest.permission.RECEIVE_SMS}, REQ_SMS);
}

Caution: only request sensitive permissions when the feature genuinely needs them. Security is mostly about reducing exposure through good defaults and careful distribution — that pays off more than chasing every threat headline.

Member Avatar for adams161

I have given up on taking android seriously and i started in android mobily about 2 years ago. I've developed 2 android apps. But to me the clean IOS world is worth it.

But it does bring up a point. One of my android apps was a beta i did for my job, where i don't normally do mobile programming. The appeal to them is many of their users are on android and they can direct distribute. They can do this I think on IOS as well but probably 75% of their users are on Android.

I think there is a place for android in reaching the masses, but the savy users, the users who spend money, are on IOS. It was interesting to see 75 percent of the black friday weekends cyber sales were made on IOS.

Mike

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