DHS Bulletin Warns of Malware Aimed At Google’s (NASD: GOOG) Android Operating System

With success comes emulation, that’s how the old saying goes. Well, in the tech market, especially in operating systems, success breeds people trying to find loopholes in the system. Google’s Android operating system is the most widely used mobile software system in the world, which makes it a big target for makers of malicious software. This is no different than the issue that Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) faces every day for the Windows operating system. Now, the American government has issued a warning about the potential security threat of Android.

In a recent document, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned police officers, firefighters, emergency medical services and security personnel about the security issues in Android. It said earlier versions of Android, released in 2011, had several security vulnerabilities that were fixed in later versions of the software.

While Apple’s iPhone may get the majority of attention from consumers, the DHS report states that Android accounts for 79 percent of mobile malware, while Apple’s iOS accounts for 0.7 percent.

“The growing use of mobile devices by federal, state, and local authorities makes it more important than ever to keep mobile OS patched and up-to-date,” said the unclassified report. The document lays out some of the common security threats in earlier versions of Android, including a vulnerability in text messaging, where malicious software can steal money by making secret charges to a user’s phone bill.

A joint DHS-FBI bulletin read, “Android is the world’s most widely used mobile operating system (OS) and continues to be a primary target for malware attacks due to its market share and open source architecture. Industry reporting indicates 44 percent of Android users are still using versions 2.3.3 through 2.3.7 – known as Gingerbread – which were released in 2011 and have a number of security vulnerabilities that were fixed in later versions. The growing use of mobile devices by federal, state, and local authorities makes it more important than ever to keep mobile OS patched and up-to-date.”

Google has not yet commented on these issues, but issues like this will likely only increase as more and more consumers flock to using mobile devices for everything from phone calls to texting to online banking. Desktop computer makers became vigilant on anti-virus and information protection, responding to consumers fears that information they store on those devices could be accessed and stolen. The mobile market, while enormous, is still maturing and growing, and there will need to be a push in this arena to similarly protect information.