Replying to a question from the audience at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Google’s Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai has said that Android is not designed to be a safe mobile operating platform, 9to5Mac is reporting. “We cannot guarantee that Android is designed to be safe, the format was designed to give more freedom”, said Google’s head of Android.
“When people talk about 90% of malware for Android, they must of course take into account the fact that it is the most popular operating system in the world. If I had a company dedicated to malware, I would also be addressing my attacks on Android.”
Earlier this week, the latest mobile malware evolution report form Kaspersky revealed that 98% of mobile malware is targeted at Android devices. The report also highlighted that Google’s mobile platform remained the prime target for malicious attacks in 2013, confirming the vulnerability of its architecture.
Recent studies have shown that majority of mobile malware is designed to steal users’ money, including SMS-Trojans. The number of mobile malware modifications designed for phishing, the theft of credit card information and money has also increased by a factor of 19.7 over the past one year.
