There are quite a few security risks/ShutterStock
When looking for a new smartphone, you're probably looking for the best value for money.
If you're looking for a device with great data but don't want to pay a high price for that data, devices from lesser-known manufacturers may find themselves on your list.
The information security company ESET points out that in today's extremely competitive smartphone market, you may consider choosing a quality device from an unknown manufacturer, which can compete in many ways with devices from technology giants such as Apple, Samsung and Google.
On the other hand, while these devices may win in terms of price, they lose in other criteria such as the prestige of the brand, the communication technologies that the device supports and in some cases, also in the level of security and data privacy of these devices.
The prestige (or lack of prestige) and the pricing policy of certain manufacturers also affects their perception in the public - in the end, the smartphone has evolved and become one of the prominent status symbols of today.
In some ways, even flagship devices can find themselves in the price range of mid-range devices and even in the budget device category.
Especially in the cheaper device category, smartphones come with older versions of the Android operating system, and post-purchase support for them is less, if any.
In many cases, they do not receive security updates or additions of new options or they receive them late or for a short period of time, and there are even cases where manufacturers are blocked from accessing the ecosystem of the Google Play app store.
As demonstrated in several cases where phones were delivered with defects built into the device, the security of the supply chain is another cause for concern.
Android is not just an operating system
With a market share of over 70 percent, or approximately 3.3 billion active users, the Android operating system maintains its place as the leading operating system for mobile devices.
However, not every manufacturer gets an equal place in the world of Android devices.
Of the phone manufacturers that include a full Android system, Samsung leads the way with a market share close to 35 percent, with its market share of all smartphones reaching 20 percent, slightly below that of Apple.
At the same time, new devices from other manufacturers, for example the Chinese technology giant Huawei, have been blocked from accessing the Google Play store since 2019. To maintain a presence in the global market, the company, which produces various models of powerful smartphones, created its own operating system called HarmonyOS.
This operating system is largely based on the freely available Android Open-Source Project (AOSP).
However, blocking from Google Play may have various security implications affecting end users.
Comprehensive security
In addition to the security options built into Android, users also benefit from additional security provided through the Google Play Store and Play Protect protections included in it and activated by default.
This officially controlled app environment for Android devices is built-in on phones from manufacturers that comply with US and EU regulations. The security of this store is backed by Google's App Defense Alliance, launched in November 2019 and ESET is one of its members.
The Google Play app store is home to more than 2.6 million apps, and as a rule, almost all of them may contain "dormant" malicious options that do not appear when the app is uploaded to the store, as was the case with the Ahmyth malware recently discovered by ESET, which received a malicious update after the initial upload store. When various threats are detected in security-conscious app stores, such as the Samsung Galaxy Store and even the Google Play Store, the store operators act quickly to remove these apps.
Android devices are vulnerable to threats arising from several main types of malware. One of these threats is Trojan horses that concern for banking, which steal usernames and passwords and can even bypass two-factor authentication (2FA). Another threat is caused by Remote Access Trojans (RATs), which can spy on victims and receive direct commands from attackers in order to steal money, usernames and passwords, hack into accounts of social networks and record phone calls. In addition, there are ransomware malwares that target Android devices, and are usually distributed through malicious links to insecure websites or via email and SMS messages.
Protecting users from such risks is an important and core part of the mission of the Google Application Protection Association.
More in Walla!
It's so delicious and simple: a recipe for caramelized bananas
In collaboration with the Galil company
Authorized apps/ShutterStock have value
Security risks concern everyone
On most Android devices, a manufacturer's outer shell is put on top of the standard Android skeleton, and access to the Google Play system is provided.
There are other vendors that have achieved significant market share through other systems, but their app stores and the apps that reside in them are not regulated by the App Protection Association.
Using external app stores or other unsupervised places may be tempting, because they have apps that cannot be found in the recognized stores, and there are cases where these stores offer open-source alternatives to recognized apps that bypass local restrictions, or apps that were simply not created by a technology giant that you don't want to share your data with. While some of these stores are properly monitored and maintained by legitimate companies, there are hundreds of app stores with less stringent monitoring processes, if any at all.
Bottom line, the risks from alternative apps and app stores can be more damaging to phones from certain brands, and those risks are higher on phones that don't have access to Google's authentic operating system and app environments.
(Note: even people who decide to forgo the built-in protections on Android devices with Google Play and install apps outside the official app store can, or will be able to, use the store's scanner
So what is important to understand when choosing the device?
1. Low price, high risks:
Buying cheap smartphones from unknown manufacturers can expose users to safety and security risks, including lack of security updates and additions of new options.
2. Importance of Google play:
Smartphones that do not support Google Play and the Play Protect protection system lose an important layer of security, which may leave users vulnerable to damage and malware.
3. Implications for the end user:
Users should be aware that choosing cheap Android devices increases the risk of a poor user experience, including a higher chance of malware infection and exposure to security threats.
4. Multi-layered protection:
It is important to invest in increased protection and security software for the purpose of protecting against harmful and malicious software, and ensure the use of reliable sources for downloading applications.
5. Examining the investment over time:
despite the low price of cheap devices, it is important to consider the real cost involved in choosing an unsafe device, including the risks to privacy and information security.
More on the same topic:
Smartphone