If Android ever gains significant marketshare, social-engineering will cause spammers, spyware, malware, etc to have a field day.
~ CB
Ya, open source is known for spammers, spyware, malware, etc. You see it all the time on Linux and not on closed architectures like Windows. The above is just flat out wrong.
It's flat out RIGHT actually.
As confident as you are, you're blinding yourself to the basic facts. Mac OS has less exploited exploits... why? Because its simply more secure? No, its mostly because it has the smaller marketshare (most security experts agree on this). If the iPhone was as insecure NOW as it was when it launched, spammers, spyware, and malware would be having a field day due to its what? It's number of users and popularity. Exactly.
And no, I'm sorry, but you're not allowed to broadly equate my statements about Android and Android marketplace to the entire spectrum of open source software as a whole. Specifically... about Android and Android marketplace... unless something changes, I'm predicting a very rocky future with regards to spammers, spyware, and malware. KNOWING THIS, Google charges developers $25 to join its network. Why? Not because Google needs their money, but because... well, let me
let them tell it:
You must register to be able to distribute your products through Android Market. There is a one time $25 registration fee. We charge this fee to encourage higher quality products on the market (e.g. less spammy products).
READ:
"As a deterrent to the spamware we would otherwise get." COST is the single most compelling reason why we deal with as much EMAIL spam as we do. Scott Chasin, the chief technology officer for Denver-based e-mail security firm MX Logic Inc., made the insightful comment that, "The reverse cost structure of e-mail is a hard problem to solve before you have some identity technology in place." But, whereas email gives spammers cart blanche for their payload, a VERY low cost gateway (like Android Marketplace) can only provide a minimal deterrent.
We'll see though. I think Google's 24 hour try/buy return policy is a PART of the solution to the SPAM (not the malware or spyware), but it certainly provides a disincentive for many developers who'd prefer all sales to be final (for legitimate reaons, much like the stores that are now changing return policies to prevent people from people from buying/returning big screen TVs after game night and most places don't allow refunds on software... this is now being called "casual fraud"). Effectively, as it stands today, Android allows 24hour one-time only rentals of EVERY application in its marketplace. If I'm missing something on this point, someone tell me... 'cause that's disturbing in my book (from a developer standpoint).
If Linux was as popular as Windows, I'm sure it wouldn't need security through obscurity to start having serious problems with exploits/spamware/spyware/malware that take advantage of its users. Believing otherwise continues to be a long-running canard. Moreover, the weakest link for any computer security issue will always be PEBKAC.
~ CB
