Originally Posted By: IveBeenRued
Originally Posted By: guyonearth
So you're saying Apple has better security? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL....
Apple is notoriously the most lax company regarding security, and because it's a closed ecosystem they are extremely secretive about an issues. I'd trust an open-source system over them any day. Even Microsoft would be better.
No offense, but, do you do information security for a living? Judging from your statement, I am guessing not.
This is a bit dated but you should get the idea.
https://www.f-secure.com/documents/996508/1030743/Mobile_Threat_Report_Q1_2014.pdf
According to F-Secure, over 99% of new mobile malware are designed for Android. Microsoft is better but that is because they have so few users. Between iOS and Android, iOS is far superior when it comes to security.
Yes, Android targeted more frequently than iOS for Malware, but that's not the whole story as noted in this article from Symantec:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/symantec/2014/07/24/android-vs-ios-which-is-more-secure/
Originally Posted By: Symantec
But the stats alone don’t tell the full story. After all, it only takes one piece of perfectly formed iOS malware to do as much damage as thousands of copycat Android threats. And both platforms are equally at risk from social engineering, where hackers use more personal methods to target your logins and data.
Another good one from Sophos:
http://www.sophos.com/en-us/security-new...an-android.aspx
This one has an interesting piece of data in it:
http://www.eweek.com/security/android-vs.-ios-security-comparisons-get-complicated.html
Quote:
In terms of vulnerabilities, the five-year track records of the two platforms are similar. Researchers have discovered 325 vulnerabilities in the Android operating system since 2010 and 185 in iOS, according to data from the National Vulnerability Database. Serious vulnerabilities have been found in both mobile operating systems. In 2012, for example, researchers hacked an Android device using the wireless Near-Field Communication (NFC) protocol, while hackers at a similar competition showed in 2013 a way to steal passwords from an iOS device.
The latest flaw in Android, dubbed the "Fake ID" vulnerability by Bluebox, allows developers to create applications that appear to come from a different, trusted developer. Because some programs on Android devices have hard-coded and higher-level access to the system, masquerading as applications from the same developer can give attackers complete access to the device.
The rough similarity in vulnerability data has not translated to similar chances of attack. Almost all criminal attacks of opportunity focus on Android, according to mobile-security firm Lacoon. Yet targeted attacks, which focus on stealing intellectual property and data, do impact Apple's mobile operating system, according to Lacoon's CEO Michael Shaulov.
By mining traffic collected by a large network provider, the company found that about 3 percent of devices show signs of malware infection. Among those devices infected with more advanced data-stealing and remote-access Trojans, 43 percent of the consumer devices ran Apple's iOS, while 10 percent of infected corporate devices ran Apple's mobile operating system.
"This shows that, first of all, you still have an exposure with iOS in the corporate environment," Shaulov said. "But the fact that you have additional defenses in the enterprise helps reduce the exposure."
And yet another:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2364840/r...-the-other.html
Quote:
Apple’s tight vetting of mobile applications gives it a security edge over Android, but there are still several ways for attackers to steal data from iOS devices, a mobile security company warned in a report Tuesday.
The report looked at the risk factors facing users of the platforms, concluding that enterprises still face data breach risks regardless of the platform used.
“Neither iOS nor Android is inherently more secure than the other,” according to Marble Security. “The risks to enterprises allowing employees to bring in their own devices, whether iOS or Android-based, are not that dissimilar.”
For iOS users who haven’t jailbroken their devices, the only source of applications is the App Store, which Apple closely monitors for potentially malicious applications. But Android users have a choice of many marketplaces outside of Google’s Play store which may not analyze applications for bad behavior, the report said.
Apple has another small advantage in that iOS has much less “fragmentation,” or a multitude of versions and configurations of its operating system. In contrast, Android is heavily fragmented: Marble Security counted 11,868 types of devices that run myriad versions of Android.
Those Android versions “may have security vulnerabilities, old patch levels, insecure configurations or unsecured apps installed from the factory,” the report said.
The way into the ‘walled garden’
Still, there are a couple of avenues into the “walled garden” of iOS, it said. For example, an application not from the App Store can be installed on a non-jailbroken device using TestFlight, which is a platform for distributing beta apps to select user groups.
“While Android devices can more easily obtain apps from non-vetted sites, there are many ways for iOS apps to also get onto devices, which spells trouble for the enterprise,” Marble said.
iOS faces risks from mobile device management configurations, which can be delivered via a website. That kind of attack would require using social engineering to lure someone to a website and convincing the person to install a malicious configuration, the report said.
But “if that user installs a hostile configuration profile, then the enterprise is at risk for intercepted traffic, fake app installation, sophisticated phishing and APTs (advanced persistent threats),” Marble said. “We have seen many tactics used to deceive users to install these profiles.”
Ultimately my opinion on the matter is to treat both as security risks and educate the end user as best as you can. Both are exploitable.
This blog touches on that and aligns well with my thoughts on the matter:
https://bluebox.com/business/ios-vs-android-which-is-more-secure/
) being tied to an arguably dying operating system.
