14 DAY TRIAL // The recent leaks regarding CIA’s hacking efforts proved once again that nobody is secure no matter the software or hardware they are using, but there’s one little thing that might be catching the attention of Windows phone fans: no devices powered by Microsoft’s mobile OS are on the list of targets for CIA’s hacking tools.
In other words, the CIA hasn’t developed hacking solutions for Windows phones, while the majority of devices on the market, including here iPhones, Android phones, TVs, and Windows PCs and tablets, were targeted with more or less advanced exploits taking advantage of zero-days and unpatched flaws.
Of course, this can only be good news for those using Windows phones, but on the other hand, it also raises a question whose answer is not that difficult to figure out: why hasn’t the CIA targeted Windows phones too?
As reddit user sannhetenunder puts it, this might be “security through obscurity,” as CIA most likely ignored Windows phones for the simple fact that a dropping number of people continue using the platform.
The Windows Phone drop
On the other hand, users who want to see the glass half-full will probably claim that it all happened because Windows phones are impossible to break, though that’s unlikely to be the case. Windows 10 Mobile is indeed one of the most secure mobile platforms out there, but with CIA’s hacking power, it’s hard to believe this is the reason the agency didn’t target Windows phones as part of this recently-leaked program.
For what it’s worth, Windows phones are currently at approximately 0.5 percent market share, and research firms expect the platform to continue its massive drop in the coming years.
More recently, analyst house IDC projected a drop to 0.0 percent market share for Windows phones by 2021, estimating that sales could total approximately 800,000 units worldwide.
Microsoft, on the other hand, continues to remain tight-lipped on everything related to its mobile platform, and it might be this uncertainty the one that contributed to the CIA staying away from targeting Windows phones with its hacking tools. Or maybe the CIA itself is planning to hack Windows phones soon™.