Phil Schiller Tweets Link to Another Security Report Criticizing Android
Last year, Apple executive Phil Schiller tweeted a link to a research report that noted significant growth in mobile malware, particularly on Android. The report found that Android accounted for 79 percent of mobile threats, with just 0.7 percent attacking iOS.
Today, Schiller followed up, tweeting a link to Cisco's 2014 Annual Security Report. The report, which came out late last week, notes that while overall vulnerabilities are highest since tracking began in 2000, 99 percent of all mobile malware targeted Android devices -- leaving iOS devices relatively unscathed thanks to Apple's controlling mobile ecosystem.
The report does note that many mobile users encounter phishing or other social engineering websites, something that Apple's security protocols won't necessarily protect users from.
Not all mobile malware is designed to target specific devices, however. Many encounters involve phishing, likejacking, or other social engineering ruses, or forcible redirects to websites other than expected. An analysis of user agents by Cisco TRAC/SIO reveals that Android users, at 71 percent, have the highest encounter rates with all forms of web-delivered malware, followed by Apple iPhone users with 14 percent of all web malware encounters.
Other than that specific mention of social engineering -- and that spam messages mention Apple Gift Cards -- the Cisco report does not mention Apple or the Mac or iOS at all. The tweet is likely part of a
larger push by Apple to share more favorable third-party reports about the company and its products.
Popular Stories
Apple's annual WWDC developers conference is drawing to a close, but there is still a lot to look forward to in the second half of the year.
Apple is expected to release at least 15 more products later this year. Now that the more intelligent and personal version of Siri has finally arrived in beta, a full two years after Apple first previewed it at WWDC 2024, we should begin to see some new ...
If you pay for extra iCloud storage on your iPhone, beyond the 5GB included for free, you might receive two more perks on iOS 27 at no additional cost.
First, Apple said there will be daily usage limits for some of the new and enhanced Apple Intelligence features on iOS 27, including image generation. However, the company noted that "increased access" is available with "most" iCloud+ storage ...
Apple will end software support for 16 devices this fall across four product lines, with the Apple Watch seeing the most sweeping cull in the product's history.
The full extent of this year's software drops became clear with the announcements of macOS 27 Golden Gate, iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, and watchOS 27 at WWDC this week. The one bright spot is that iOS 27 features identical device support to...
