By September 2022, nearly a third of Android phones will be running an operating system that doesn't receive support from Google anymore. As a result, the device is vulnerable to hackers.
This is the result of a report by the antivirus company Bitdefender which was published recently. They reveal Android phones occupy about 70% of the market, but many of those devices pose a security risk as Google no longer supports them.
Many cellphones are still running on older versions of Android. Without security patches, this old version is the preferred gateway for hackers.
Unfortunately too many consumers ignore the importance of security patches and continue to use vulnerable devices years after being declared obsolete by the manufacturer, the report said.
"We can still find devices running the version of Android that was released a decade ago, and they're a lot more popular than you might think," Bitdefender said.
To substantiate its claims, the company examined the cellphones that used the Bitdefender app. As expected, there are a large number of devices that have not been upgraded to Android 12 or Android 11.
In detail, Android 12 represents 36.47% of the smartphones taken into account in this study. Android 11 runs on 29.15% of devices.
Android 10 is still running on 15.03% of devices. This version of Android will no longer be supported by Google from September 2022 when Android 13 will be available in a final and stable version.
So, 35% of Android phones used worldwide will no longer get security patches, which opens the gate for hackers to hack devices. Although without taking into account Android 10 the number is still quite large, if it is calculated there are 20% of devices that are already vulnerable.
Bitdefender recommends "taking into account the support period when buying a new device". The company recommends avoiding HP's with inadequate software support.
"Whenever a new vulnerability emerges, the first advice is always the same, regardless of platform: apply the latest security patch as soon as possible," advises Bitdefender.