Millions of Android tablets at risk of hacking because they run on KitKat
Android 4.4 is still by far the most popular Android tablet OS
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Tens of millions of Android tablets have gone years without a security update and could be at risk of hacking. In some instances, bothGoogle(author of the Android OS) and the tablet vendor have pulled support for the devices.
The latest data onoperating systemshare, released by analytics firm Net Marketshare, shows 13% of tablets (that’s one in every eight) still run Android 4.4, which is nearly seven years old.
The last time this version of Android received a security patch was in October 2017 when a fix was issued for four vulnerabilities, two of which were deemed critical.
Other 4.x variants (Android 4.0 to Android 4.3) account for another 3% of tablets, while Android 5.x (Lollipop) devices make up nearly 10% of the userbase, making it the second most popular Android variant.
Built-in obsolescence?
Up to a billion Android smartphones still run on version 6.x or older and unpatched devices are at significant risk of being infected with malware.
Critics have highlighted the fact Android devices have a significantly shorter shelf life compared to other operating systems likeWindows 7orWindows 10.
It was not long ago that tablets were regarded as the rightful heir to the laptop throne, spawning countless articles on why “they were better than notebooks” (although that didn’t exactly pan out).
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Android tablets based onAndroid 4.4(AKA KitKat) were the first to truly bring the best out of Android on a slate form factor, boasting features that are now considered de facto standard.
Popular tablets that ran on Android 4.x include theSamsungGalaxy Tab 4 7.0, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 LTE, theSonyXperia Z2 Tablet LTE, Samsung Google Nexus 10 and the originalNvidiaShield tablet.
Owners of older Android tablets would be wise to check for available updates, back up their data and protect their devices using antivirus services.
Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled inwebsite buildersandweb hostingwhen DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.
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