Patches for OS crucial, says Experts

New Delhi: While the government has sent notices to handset makers over data leaks, there is a need to keep a check over the ecosystem which include operating software (OS) and apps to ensure security of users data, said Cyber Media Research on Thursday.

Cyber Media said that for ensuring a secure environment of privacy and data for a user, along with hardware the software aspects especially apps and OS also need to be taken in to account.

It said that at present, over 90 per cent of smartphones run on Google’s OS called Android and with each upgrade of the OS, Google has hardened the security of the devices. “However, the problem is that handset makers do not upgrade the versions on existing devices in use as a routine,” it said. 

Also the problem is that lower end of the mobile phones don’t run the latest version of Android OS which could compromise the data security on these handsets. “This keeps the typically less aware user profile purchasing entry level smartphones deprived of the security improvements that Google brings at the OS level,” it said.

Cyber Media Research  (CMR) said that handset manufacturers can be mandated by the government to ensure that OS upgrades, as rolled out by Google, are instantly pushed across to users across price segments, especially the security patches.

“Beyond this, handset vendors can also be audited for the information they collect via user interface (UIs) that are installed on the handsets,” it said. It said that apps go through predefined checks of Google after which they are published on the Play Store. “Once, available on the Play Store, handset vendors cannot control what is to be enabled or not, on to a device,”said CMR.