Mobile devices have been thought of as less risky. Desktop and laptops, the thought goes, are far more susceptible to hackers and cyber criminals. That’s true to some extent. But hackers are advanced enough today to compromise tablets and smartphones, too. And there’s one specific mobile device that gets hacked much more often than every other. As per a recent story by Business Insider, it’s the iPhone which is the most hackable mobile device.
Targeted iPhone
Business Insider cites a recent study by Web security firm SourceFire – “25 Years of Vulnerabilities” – in its story. According to Source Fire, iPhones have registered 210 CVE – Critical Vulnerabilities – reports. In contrast, mobile devices powered by the Android operating system have only received 24 CVE reports. That’s a major difference.
What’s behind it?
This begs the obvious question: Why have iPhones been hacked so many more times than have Android mobile devices? As with a lot of other big questions, there aren't any easy answers. Business Insider ponders whether a part of the reason could be the iPhone's popularity. The devices, after all, remain a top seller. But the SourceFire report states that Android has received fewer CVEs in 2012 than it did in 2011. This drop happened even though Android enjoyed a big rise in market share last year.
A tempting target?
A recent interview with the SourceFire report author on the ZDNet Web site suggests another excuse for the high number of iPhone hacks: Hacking the iPhone might represent a challenge worthy of the most skilled hackers. Consider how Android devices work. They rely on an open platform. Consequently developers can create malicious third-party apps that users can download onto their phones. That’s not very much of a challenge for hackers. But hacking the iPhone, which does not boast an open platform? That’s a true test of a hacker’s skill.