28-04-2025
Do Not Let Your Phone Get On This Dangerous List
Do not get on the list
Android has a serious problem. Half its users are running an OS version that's on the unsupported list, and Google has also decided that apps may stop working properly on those phones next month. You need to check what OS version you're running.
In its new Global Mobile Threat Report, Zimperium warns 'at any given point in the year, over 50% of mobile devices are running outdated OS versions, and a significant number are compromised or infected.' Make sure your phone is not on this list.
Google recently stopped providing security updates for the 200 million Android 12 users, adding it to the other unsupported OS versions still in use, which account for more than half of all Android phones. This isn't just an Android problem, though, and Zimperium warns iPhone users are just as likely to be on that naughty list.
Google's latest change to its Play Integrity API means apps can run differently on Android 12 or older — in other words more slowly and with more restrictions. All told, it's set to become an even more painful experience than now.
But the security concerns are more critical. And this is especially true for enterprises allowing their users to access company systems and networks from their own devices.
Zimperium says 'this creates untrusted environments where even apps that employ security measures are susceptible to manipulation. Without device attestation, apps can't distinguish between safe and hostile execution environments, exposing sensitive data and operations.' Which is why Google wants apps restricted.
There are almost 2 million apps on Apple's App Store and as many as 2.87 million on Google's Play Store, albeit its cull of low-quality apps continues. 'Most apps,' Zimperium says, 'rely on basic tools or have no protection, including in high-risk sectors like finance. Organizations are either underestimating the sophistication of mobile threats or relying too heavily on platform-level security.'
Most users have countless apps on their phones, many of which were installed casually and are no longer used. But all of which are a potential security risk. Typical users have 80 to 100 apps installed, Zimperium reports, with only a few work-related. 'Meanwhile, 66% of American employees use their personal smartphones for work, and 70% of organizations support BYOD.' Again, this is why Google has acted.
More apps, more phones, outdated firmware, delayed (if any) updates. You can see why Zimperium describes 'a fragmented, under-secured mobile landscape where apps and devices become potential vectors for data loss, fraud, and enterprise breaches.'
The greatest threats to iPhone users come by way of mobile targeted phishing — designed to trick users given the restrictions of small screen devices, and network interception attacks. Whilst for Android, unsurprisingly, the major risk is sideloading.
Staying safe is easy — that's the good news; here's your five-point plan:
