iOS more secured than Android: Symantec

According to the latest report issued by Symantec on comparing the security level of iOS and Android operating system, iOS is less vulnerable than Android.

Both the operating systems have better security than the desktop-based operating system, but are still susceptible to social engineering attacks.

The analysis says:

• While offering improved security over traditional desktop-based operating systems, both iOS and Android are still vulnerable to many existing categories of attacks.

• iOS’s security model offers strong protection against traditional malware, primarily due to Apple’s rigorous app certification process and their developer certification process, which vets the identity of each software author and weeds out attackers.

• Google has opted for a less rigorous certification model, permitting any software developer to create and release apps anonymously, without inspection. This lack of certification has arguably led to today’s increasing volume of Android- specific malware.

• Users of both Android and iOS devices regularly synchronize their devices with 3rd-party cloud services (e.g., web-based calendars) and with their home desktop computers. This can potentially expose sensitive enterprise data stored on these devices to systems outside the governance of the enterprise.

• So-called “jailbroken” devices, or devices the security of which has been disabled, offer attractive targets for attackers since these devices are every bit as vulnerable as traditional PCs.

However, Symantec found around 200 security glitches in iOS at an earlier study but it has “proven largely resistant to attack.”