Google has released what it is calling the "Android Security State of the Union," which is essentially a rundown of security on Android.
The report reveals a number of very interesting things, including that 10 million Android devices have apps installed that could potentially be harmful.
Google has been making moves of late to try and improve security on Android, which has traditionally been much more vulnerable to attacks than the likes of iOS. For example, Google recently set data encryption to be on by default in Android, whereas previously users had to manually turn on the feature.
Google also revealed that it scans 200 million devices per day through the Verify Apps tool. It's important to mention that this scanning is solely for the purpose of security and that it is not for user data collection. In fact, the volume of devices that Verify Apps scans jumped a massive 300 percent during 2014.
It's a difficult to compromise to make. While Android is largely praised for being so open, it leaves the operating system more vulnerable, especially for those that regularly download apps from third-party app markets and developers who do not make their apps available through Google Play. The more Google closes Android off, however, the more users that will be frustrated at the lack of openness in a once very open operating system.
There are a number of things that users can do to ensure that their smartphones are more secure. One of the most important things is to not download apps other than from the Google Play Store. While some argue that this somewhat defeats the purpose of having an open operating system, that's one of the prices of security. Another important thing for users to do is to use a PIN or password on their device.
Last but not least, while Google has been upping the security of Android out of the box, it's important to consider downloading a security app from the likes of AVG or another well-known security company. These kinds of apps regularly scan Android systems, looking for malware in the form of apps and other files.
Security apps also help prevent against the fact that Google is not yet able to ensure that every single app downloaded from Google Play is safe for users to download. While Google will continue to improve security on Google Play and Android in general, it is likely that nothing will ever be totally secure.
