Which One Is More Secure: Android or iOS?

A few weeks ago, researchers found a gaping vulnerability in a component of Android, called Stagefright, that allows a hacker to take complete control of an Android phone or tablet. The bug threatens nearly a billion devices and has prompted Google and hardware makers such as Samsung and LG to rethink how they provide software updates to Android devices.

Apple’s mobile devices aren’t immune to security threats, either. Last year, security researchers found a vulnerability that could — albeit under rare conditions — allow fake, spyware versions of apps like Facebook and Skype to get onto iOS devices. (More about that in a bit.)

Historically, PCs and Macs have been far bigger targets for hackers and cyber crooks than mobile devices like iOS and Android smartphones. One reason is that PCs and Macs are inherently less secure, by design. “Historically they were totally open platforms … that’s what made the PC so popular,” said Guillaume Ross, senior consultant at security company Rapid7. (And by “PC,” he means Windows, OS X or Linux computers). “So few restraints were placed on what application you could use.” PCs evolved before online security was a major concern, and we’ve been trying to retrofit them with security measures ever since.

Smartphones and tablets, on the other hand, emerged after security had become a major issue, and they were designed accordingly with that in mind. “Nowadays, you install an application on Android and iOS, and it asks, ‘Do you want to allow this application?’” Ross said.

But Ross acknowledges that mobile threats will probably keep growing as people shift more of their digital lives to handhelds. So in addition to looking at things like the selection of emoji and your options for selfies when comparing one mobile platform to another, it’s time to also start paying close attention to how they compare for security.

Open vs. closed

One of the key differences between iOS and Android is that the latter is built on an “open” philosophy: Phone makers, wireless carriers and individuals can custom-configure the OS. App makers have many ways to get their products onto the platform, and apps have more access to the inner workings of the operating system than they do on Apple’s iOS.