Android platform 'wide open' to hackers

PRAGUE: The Android platform is "wide open" and represents a bigger security threat to tablet users than Apple's iOS, according to the chief executive of anti-virus firm Avast.
 
Speaking during a press tour of the company’s headquarters in Prague, Vince Steckler, formerly head of Asia Pacific for Symantec, warned that the Google ecosystem "is a future threat".
 
"Android is wide open and it's very simple for viruses to propagate there, but Apple's is a closed ecosystem," he said.
 
"Apple is actually kicking Google's butt in the tablet market. Android tablets have failed in the market so far. It's unusual for Apple to have the best and cheapest product."
 
Steckler also said that Apple Macs are not inherently more secure than other machines, despite Apple's claims.
 
“This goes against the Apple corporate message that if you have a Mac you don't need to worry about viruses, but actually malware writers aren't interested in Macs because there aren't enough of them around yet," he said.

"If they become really popular it'll be a different story."
 
Avast chief technology officer Ondrej Vlcek explained that the primary source of malware today is infected web sites, which account for 86 per cent of all malware detected by Avast. This is a marked change from three years ago when email was the primary vector.
 
"In most cases these are high- or mid-profile legitimate sites that are hacked. There is some vulnerability on the web server and the attackers inject malicious script which redirects the user somewhere else on the web," said Vlcek.
 
"It can be updated every day and it can generate custom malicious code for each user. This is a big advantage for the virus authors because they maintain control and stay in charge of the distribution channel."