Which smartphones are most often targeted by hackers?

Devices running outdated versions of the Android operating system are of greater interest to hackers than other gadgets due to their widespread use worldwide. This was reported by Dmitry Galov, the head of the Russian research center "Kaspersky Lab," in an interview with RIA Novosti.

He noted that the statistics on the number of users from 2009 to 2023 show that Android surpassed iOS in popularity in 2012 and reached its maximum user base around 2018, maintaining its leadership to the present day. This makes the Android operating system more attractive to malicious actors due to the significantly larger number of potential victims.

Galov explained that there is a demand in the market for budget devices that are released with outdated versions of Android due to their low hardware requirements. As a result, there are many people worldwide using devices with such outdated OS versions, making them vulnerable due to the lack of the latest security updates.

He also pointed out that another reason hackers are interested in Android devices rather than iOS is that the latter are updated to the latest OS versions faster, receiving new features and security patches. The expert added that a significant number of users still use outdated Android versions because Apple supports its devices for a longer period than Android device manufacturers, allowing gadget owners to receive OS updates for a more extended period.

Galov also noted that antivirus software developers for mobile operating systems do not limit themselves to protecting only the latest Android versions but ensure the security of devices running older versions.