Warning: Over 1 bln Android phones, tablets at risk of being hacked

Around 40 per cent of Android-based users around the world having smartphones and tablets with older versions of the operation could be vulnerable to hackers as Google is no longer sending security updates, said a new research.

More than one billion Android-based devices are now at risk of being hacked in shape of data theft and other cyber attacks, said a report by UK-based consumer group ‘Which?’.

There are more than 2.5 billion active Android devices in the world in view of the 2019 figures provided by Google.

The devices with older versions of mobile operating systems especially those more than two-year old Android are not receiving security updates from developments

Different firms such as Google encouraging users to instead update to a newer version of the operating system in order to best secure their device from modern cyber threats, Mirror UK reported.

Google and Apple – the makers of the world’s two most popular mobile operating systems – Android and iOS, release new versions of their software annually, followed by smaller, periodical updates for several years after to fix any further issues found within them.

According to the Which? report, older phones tested from manufacturers including Motorola, Samsung, Sony and LG were found to have vulnerabilities, and Which? said anyone using an Android phone released in 2012 or earlier – including popular devices at the time such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Sony Xperia S – should be “especially concerned”.

It also encouraged anyone running a version of Android older than 7.0 Nougat, which was first released in 2016, to try and update their software as this version is now no longer supported by Google.

However, if a device can not be updated it is likely to need to be replaced.