A Survey on Various Threats and Current State of Security in Android Platform

Abstract

The advent of the Android system has brought smartphone technology to the doorsteps of the masses. The latest technologies have made it affordable for every section of the society. However, the emergence of the Android platform has also escalated the growth of cybercrime through the mobile platform. Its open source operating system has made it a center of attraction for the attackers. This article provides a comprehensive study of the state of the Android Security domain. This article classifies the attacks on the Android system in four categories (i) hardware-based attacks, (ii) kernel-based attacks, (iii) hardware abstraction layer-based attacks, and (iv) application-based attacks. The study deals with various threats and security measures relating to these categories and presents an in-depth analysis of the underlying problems in the Android security domain. The article also stresses the role of Android application developers in realizing a more secure Android environment. This article attempts to provide a comparative analysis of various malware detection techniques concerning their methods and limitations. The study can help researchers gain knowledge of the Android security domain from various aspects and build a more comprehensive, robust, and efficient solution to the threats that Android is facing.