Despite Data Security Fears, One in Six Android Users Don’t Even Know About Android Security Patches: BlackBerry Survey
There are currently 1.4 billion active Android devices worldwide, but what about the users behind them? Do they know about security patches and who is responsible for securing their device? How do they feel about privacy?
There are currently 1.4 billion active Android devices worldwide, but what about the users behind them? Do they know about security patches and who is responsible for securing their device? How do they feel about privacy?
We at BlackBerry set out to uncover the mobile security and privacy implications Android smartphone users take into consideration to protect their valuable information and data. We surveyed* over 8,000 Android smartphone users and found that they are security-minded, but only 12 percent believe that their handset manufacturer is responsible for protecting the security of their mobile device.
When it comes to the top privacy concerns of Android users, 50 percent reported mining of data and malware was what they worried about most. Gartner reported a rise in data mining and malware, and predicts that by 2017, tablets and smartphones will the source of most breaches. When you combine that with the fact that nearly 90 percent of Android users use only one device for both business and entertainment, users need to pay close attention to how they are safeguarding against threats. But Android users are not as aware of how to protect their smartphone against threats as we previously thought. Fifteen percent of Android users – almost one in six - did not know about Android security updates, which can leave your device vulnerable to malware attacks and more.
Our Consumer Survey also showed:
- More than half (51 percent) state third parties using their personal data was a security headache, followed by one-third (34 percent) listing their phone being stolen or lost. Email hacking (7 percent), texts being read (4 percent) and someone listening to phone calls (4 percent) are lower on the list of concerns.
- More than half (53 percent) rank both security and privacy as most important.
- 50 percent believe their smartphone is only somewhat secure.
- The majority of Android users are using a PIN (45 percent) or password (41 percent) to protect their device.**
- Only 1 in 6 users are aware of Android security updates.
Built on BlackBerry’s privacy and security heritage, PRIV was designed to address the security and privacy needs of today’s uncompromising Android users. PRIV automatically encrypts users’ information and comes with built-in malware protection and back-up, wipe and restore. Also, DTEK by BlackBerry gives users control of their privacy with a unique app to easily monitor, report AND, since the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow update, full control over their applications’ access to the device microphone, camera, location and personal information.
PRIV also enables these strong security measures:
- BlackBerry’s Hardware Root of Trust, a unique manufacturing process that injects cryptographic keys into the device hardware, providing a secure foundation for everything else.
- Verified Boot and Secure Bootchain, which uses the embedded keys to verify every layer of the device from hardware to OS to applications in order to make sure they haven’t been tampered with.
- FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptography for data-at-rest and data-in-transit.
- Full disk encryption enabled by default to protect your privacy.
- Android OS hardening including additional security patches, improved random number generation and certificate pinning.
Check out what our fans are saying about PRIV, what power professionals love about PRIV, the official PRIV product page and watch our how-to demos. If you are wondering in which of 30+ countries you can get your hands on a PRIV, check out our availability blog. Many carriers such as AT&T in the U.S. and Rogers and Bell in Canada are offering PRIV at new, lowered prices.
* Survey was administered by using Google Consumer Surveys. Responses were collected from April 8 to 13, 2016.
**Our question “What security measures do you use on your Android smartphone?” elicited some sly answers, too, including “None, because my girlfriend will get into it, anyway” and “It’s never out of my hand.”