Identifying and quantifying the android device users' security risk exposure

The Android operating system has been designed to afford secure but unrestricted use of smartphones for the users. The crux of this solution is that the burden of system administration has been, possibly unknowingly, placed upon each individual user. As a result, an understanding of user behavior in terms of what security settings they typically use, what applications they download and what permissions they grant to these applications is critical to evaluate the security risk exposure of Android users. This paper presents an analysis of security-related user behavior data collected from over 375 distinct users over a period of four months. Based on this collected data, the paper identifies the significant threats Android users are faced with and recommends possible solutions. Combined with additional literary and product research, the paper identifies multiple shortcomings in the existing Android security landscape.