Android users that chose to use Amazon’s new Appstore may be less secure than what they think.

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]According to Yankee Group’s Ted Julian, one of Android’s native security settings allows only apps from Google’s Android Market to be installed on the device.

Here’s where things get interesting. In order to install Amazon’s store, you have to disable the native security controls in Android. As Julian points out, that means that apps can be installed from any app store.

“As one of the few controls protecting Android users from malware, this is arguably the equivalent of suggesting that users turn off their firewall to run their software,” wrote Julian.

Perhaps Google can put out an update to exclude the Amazon Appstore, as well as its own, but that’s going to get complicated. There are so many versions of Android and new app stores could pop up at any time — do they exclude them all? It’s a slippery slope.

“Sorry Amazon; knowingly compromising the security of the customers you are supposed to value so that you can make a buck is not okay,” wrote Julian.