Member Article

Android devices left unprotected by more than half of users

More than half of Android smartphone and tablet owners do not take any action to protect their devices from cyber-threats, despite Android devices being the target for 99 per cent of mobile malware attacks. Research by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab showed that only 40 per cent of Android smartphone users and 42 per cent of tablet users installed security on their devices. Other respondents are content to rely on their own instincts to keep them safe.

Android has always been a popular target for cyber-criminals because of its popularity and functionality and the threat continues to grow: Kaspersky Lab specialists detected 35,000 malicious samples for the whole of 2012, while the figure for the first half of 2013 was over 47,000. The threats Android users face are varied and destructive, from cyber-criminals programing a smartphone send text messages to a premium rate number, thus stealing money from the user’s account, to turning the phone into a spying device by providing the fraudster with information about the user’s passwords, calls and online banking accounts.

Then there is the overwhelming risk of theft. For many people, smartphones and tablets have become the place to store favourite photos and videos, correspondence with friends and family, work related documents and a variety of other valuable information – all of which could have devastating consequences in the wrong hands.

To fight these threats, Kaspersky Lab has developed Kaspersky Internet Security for Android, which integrates cutting-edge technologies for detecting cyber-threats based on extensive and constantly updated anti-virus databases. The product also includes a set of intelligent mechanisms that can proactively detect even the newest unknown threats by monitoring their behaviour.

Data stored on the device is protected with the help of special functions capable of hiding private contacts, calls and texts. If your mobile is lost or stolen, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android has a dedicated set of mechanisms that prevents anyone from accessing your personal data.

Kaspersky Internet Security for Android is available as a separate product on Kaspersky Lab’s official site and as well as at Android Apps on Google Play. In addition, it is included in Kaspersky Internet Security – Multi Device, a solution designed to protect several devices running on different operating systems.

About Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab is the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. The company is ranked among the world’s top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users*. Throughout its more than 15-year history Kaspersky Lab has remained an innovator in IT security and provides effective digital security solutions for large enterprises, SMBs and consumers. Kaspersky Lab, with its holding company registered in the United Kingdom, currently operates in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 300 million users worldwide. Learn more at www.kaspersky.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alice Collins .