Cyber-Bonanza: 80% of Android Users Have Outdated Smartphones

Unpatched systems are one of the leading vectors for malware to worm its way into victims’ lives, but user education appears to lag behind this reality. Case in point: Of the more than two-thirds of people worldwide who use Android’s operating system, more than 80% of them are using an outdated version.  According to G DATA’s Q3 2015 Mobile Malware report, there were 6,400 new instances of malware targeting Android devices every day in the third quarter—translating into a lot of risk. By the end of the quarter, G DATA analysts had already counted more Android malware instances so far in 2015 than in the whole of 2014 ((1,575,644 vs. 548,129). In the third quarter alone, 574,706 different malware strains were found, which is an increase of 50% compared to the same period last year.