{"id":3502,"date":"2014-06-13T10:00:48","date_gmt":"2014-06-13T14:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=3502"},"modified":"2020-02-26T18:58:43","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T14:58:43","slug":"ios-tizen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/ios-tizen\/3502\/","title":{"rendered":"Are New Smartphone Operating Systems Safe?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Practically simultaneously, Apple presented a new software update for its mobile operating system \u2013 iOS 8<\/a> \u2013 while its main competitor, Samsung, underlined the seriousness of its intentions<\/a> in promoting devices based on the new Tizen OS. Meanwhile, Google and its Android were out of the picture \u2013 out having a smoke or something like that. But despite the mobile elephant being absent from the newsroom, there\u2019s still plenty to talk about here.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"safeos\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Apple\u2019s new iOS<\/h2>\n

What seems most significant here is the clear drift towards more openness<\/em> and customization<\/em>. Completely unexpectedly, Apple decided to allow third-party developers (i) to replace the standard Apple on-screen input keyboard; (ii) to use the Touch ID interface; (iii) to integrate their widgets with the Notification Center; (iv) to broaden the types of data that can be exchanged between apps (including whole APIs for developers of certain home<\/a> and health<\/a> apps); and a lot more besides.\"ios8-extensions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

All this had to happen sooner or later. After all, competing with the global developer community on OS development is hardly easy. The only way forward was to become more flexible. Just you watch: In a couple of years, Safari may lose its monopoly on default browser status. And that\u2019s not my imagination running wild \u2013 for who could have foreseen the change of mood re: an external keyboard?<\/p>\n

Against a backdrop of traditional howls of approval from Apple fans, the opposition didn\u2019t seem to even grumble, despite all sorts of interesting materials that came to light quickly in reaction. Examples: ZDNet published a curious analysis<\/a> of the new features\u2019 impact on security \u2013 due to a widening of the attack surface<\/a>. And Ars Technica quickly came up with a comparison<\/a> of the \u2018new\u2019 features with various Android features, leaving the reader with serious doubts as to any genuine innovation from the guys in Cupertino<\/a>. All the same, despite this, absent were cries of \u201cWhat the\u2026??? With Jobs still around there\u2019d have never been any of this!\u201d<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s look at how Apple can hold on to the reins and maintain security. The system of pre-moderation of apps will remain, but still there\u2019ll be more for the Applers to keep on top of in terms of malicious functionality. The new Swift<\/a> programming language seems to rule out a lot of developer mistakes early on in app development; however, Swift won\u2019t be the only \u2013 mandatory \u2013 development environment (yes: \u2018Seeking Swift programmers with a minimum of three years\u2019 experience\u2019). I\u2019m still of Eugene Kaspersky\u2019s opinion<\/a> that Apple still needs to change its approach to security.<\/p>\n

Tizen<\/h2>\n

Tizen. Tizen? Who the flip is Tizen?! For those who can\u2019t be bothered to get to the library<\/span> Wikipedia<\/a>, briefly, Tizen is Android\u2019s half-brother, whose stepdad is Linux \u2013 or something like that.<\/p>\n

\"samsung-z480\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m still not clear on concrete technical<\/em> reasons for the creation of this OS. By that I mean: What\u2019s in it that isn\u2019t already in Android? It seems that they created it:<\/p>\n