Phil Schiller Tweets Link to Another Security Report Criticizing Android
Last year, Apple executive Phil Schiller tweeted a link to a research report that noted significant growth in mobile malware, particularly on Android. The report found that Android accounted for 79 percent of mobile threats, with just 0.7 percent attacking iOS.
Today, Schiller followed up, tweeting a link to Cisco's 2014 Annual Security Report. The report, which came out late last week, notes that while overall vulnerabilities are highest since tracking began in 2000, 99 percent of all mobile malware targeted Android devices -- leaving iOS devices relatively unscathed thanks to Apple's controlling mobile ecosystem.
The report does note that many mobile users encounter phishing or other social engineering websites, something that Apple's security protocols won't necessarily protect users from.
Not all mobile malware is designed to target specific devices, however. Many encounters involve phishing, likejacking, or other social engineering ruses, or forcible redirects to websites other than expected. An analysis of user agents by Cisco TRAC/SIO reveals that Android users, at 71 percent, have the highest encounter rates with all forms of web-delivered malware, followed by Apple iPhone users with 14 percent of all web malware encounters.

Other than that specific mention of social engineering -- and that spam messages mention Apple Gift Cards -- the Cisco report does not mention Apple or the Mac or iOS at all. The tweet is likely part of a
larger push by Apple to share more favorable third-party reports about the company and its products.
Popular Stories
Apple's Phil Schiller is no longer going to run the App Store or oversee product events, reports Bloomberg. Schiller isn't leaving Apple, but he is narrowing his responsibilities and working on unspecified projects.
Employees at Apple told Bloomberg that 66-year-old Schiller appears to be taking another step toward retirement.
Schiller was Apple's marketing chief until 2020, when he...
Apple is looking at further ways to monetize the App Store and increase the company's recurring revenue from the platform, according to a new report.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that newly appointed Apple CEO John Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue are behind the effort to raise margins from the App Store, which already generates Apple an estimated ...
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking!
Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...