Despite security vulnerabilities, Android remain prevalent

According to recent studies, Android-based smartphones and tablets have been the rising stars of the workplace. However, because of this increased popularity, the same mobile devices have been targeted by cyber attacks, often making them liabilities.

The low-cost and practicality of Android-based smartphones have driven the operating system's growth of the industry, but the open source nature of Android has made these devices marks for malware and Trojans that have the ability to record phone calls and messages, TechTarget reported. Although such threats raise concerns of data loss, Android devices can be protected.

An organization that implements a mobile device management policy that restricts use or requires employees to follow specific data security protocol can minimize the chance a mobile device is compromised by cyber criminals. Some techniques that enterprises can teach users include turning off auto-connect to Wi-Fi networks and enabling login passwords, which can help if the device is stolen, the news source reported.

According to research from Nielsen, Android-based smartphones make up roughly 39 percent of the U.S. smartphone market. As more enterprises use these mobile devices, they should teach proper users how to handle the equipment properly and securely.