Trend Micro: RIM BlackBerry 7 is the most secure mobile OS

A report by security firm Trend Micro claims RIM's BlackBerry 7 operating system is by far the most secure mobile operating system in broad usage. Android on the other hand came out as the poorest choice, lagging behind Windows Phone 7.5 and iOS 5. The version of Android tested by the researchers was 2.3 because of the extremely limited deployment of Android 4.0 ICS.

With a rating of 2.89, BlackBerry 7 scored far higher than the runner-up, iOS 5, which achieved a score of 1.7. Windows Phone 7.5 followed closely behind with 1.61, but Android 2.3 languished in last place with a rating of just 1.37.

The researchers complimented the BlackBerry 7 operating system, noting that its “corporate-grade security and manageability make this platform the option of choice for the most stringent mobile roles”. Despite coming in a relatively distant second, there was also some praise for iOS 5, with the report highlighting app ‘sandboxing’ and lack of removable storage as providing decent protection for users.

The report also praised Microsoft for having “created a reasonably robust and secure smartphone operating system in Windows Phone”, also noting the app sandboxing as contributing to this. Windows Phone 7.5 wasn’t called out for any particularly egregious failures in its security, but the fact that it came third out of four platforms indicates that there is clearly room for improvement.

Full details at Neowin.