(PhysOrg.com) -- Since the Android OS came out people have been comparing it to the iOS. One of the most important debates has been about the relative security of the two operating systems. The iOS is rather closed, with each of its apps needs to be vetted before it is released and the OS only coming from one vendor. Comparatively, the Android-based devices are a lot more open. Anyone can submit at app and have it included in the directory without vetting and many device makers use the Android OS.
Symantec has recently done a comparison of the two mobile device operating systems that showed some surprising results. As it turns out iOS currently has 182 more security vulnerabilities than the Android OS. While most of these are lower level flaws, they are still potentially harmful, since they allow full access to a devices data if they are exploited in the correct way. Yet, despite those extra flaws they still came to the conclusion that the iOS is significantly more secure than the Android OS in their overall analysis.
The two deciding factors in the analysis are the vetting process for applications, since Android has had a serious problem with trojanized applications being placed in the store in recent months, and the fact that the iOS devices all have data encryption. Android users only get a similar level of protection if they happen to be using a Honeycomb-powered tablet.
One other factor that Symantec specifically mentioned is the fact the iOS is "immune to traditional types of viruses and worms" because it can’t run desktop application code, which is how the majority of malicious code is programmed. Oddly enough, this same immunity does apply to Android-based devices of the current generation.
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