Gingerbread is the Android build most likely to be hit by malicious software

No, Kaspersky is not a Russian chess champion. It is the name of a security firm that has just completed a study on malicious software and Android. The result of the study is that Android 2.3 is the build most targeted by malicious software in the Android platform. Over half of all blocked malware attempts in the third quarter of this year was tried on an Android phone powered by Android 2.3. Android 2.3.6 alone accounted for 28% of such attempts. Of course, considering that more than 54% of Android users are currently still running Android 2.3 makes it a larger target than other builds.

On the other hand, the latest Android OS build, Android 4.2, has some new security features to help prevent the installation of malware. And of course, the "Bouncer" feature on the Google Play Store keeps out those new apps not trendy enough to get through the red rope that might be designed to spread trouble throughout the Android ecosystem.

There was a decidedly large drop in malware attempts in the third quarter, from the 15,000 tries in the second quarter to just 9,100 in the following three month period. After Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich users were the focus of the next largest number of malware attempts at 38%. That comes despite the OS build accounting for only 25.8% of Android devices in use. But with the new safety features of Android 4.2 giving users the option to let their phone check installed apps for malware, eventually this will no longer be much of a problem for Android users.

Malware attempts on Android

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Number of attempts dropped in Q3

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More than half of malware attempts were on Android 2.3

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Distribution of attempts during the last 2 weeks in September

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Breakdown of malware on Android