It is safe to say that Android is probably the most popular smartphone operating system at the moment. That also makes them a very nice and juicy target for hackers who have in the past released malware that specifically targets the operating system. Does the fact that Google’s choice to make Android open source a reason why there are more malware attacks? After all if hackers are allowed to inspect the code, they will be able to find loopholes and exploits that they can use to hack their way in. However Google’s Sundar Pichai begs to differ during an event at MWC 2014.
This morning at Mobile World Congress, Google’s Sundar Pichai discussed Android’s security and the impact of its ‘openness’ thereof. A local site quoted Pichai as indicating that Google’s Android operating system was, to quoteone reblog of the comments, “not designed to be safe, it was designed to be open.” Naturally, something of that nature caused a stir. Google admitting that Android is inherently insecure due to its core tenet of openness? Unsurprisingly, that’s not what Pichai actually said. In fact, he made the opposite point, arguing that Android’s openness actually makes it more secure, not less.