Exploring Android Security Landscape: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Best Practices

Abstract

With over 2.5 billion active devices, the Android operating system is among the most popular mobile operating systems. This article looks at the security concerns and challenges it faces. While Android has many advantages, such as numerous customization options and a large app ecosystem, its widespread use exposes it to security flaws and attacks. The article discusses various security threats to Android smartphones, such as stalker ware, SMS phishing, web-based attacks, and fake apps. To improve Android device security, users should exercise caution when downloading apps, enable full disc encryption, careful examine the messages and links, practice safe web browsing, and stay informed about emerging threats. The Stage fright vulnerability, the Humming Bad malware, the Joker malware, and the most recent Flu Bot malware are among the high-profile security flaws that have affected the Android operating system and are discussed in the article. It also lists CVE-2021- 0397 and CVE-2021-0390, two vulnerabilities discovered in 2021, as well as the security updates that were released to address them.