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Smartphones like the Apple iPhone and the Android based phones are as risky to use as PCs.
Losing your phone is the biggest security threat. “You are more likely to leave it in the back of a taxi than to have someone break into it”, says Charlie Miller, a principal analyst at Independent Security Evaluators. The best way to protect data in the event of losing a device is to not store sensitive information on it. Use the password feature on your phone. Devices can be configured so that they ask for a password everytime certain sensitive areas of the phone are accessed. Use a strong password that a stranger can’t guess. Jason is not a good password. A better password would be J@2()n. Another good practice is to back up your data frequently to your PC. My Tech Team suggest locking your phone when it is not in use, or setting your smartphone to automatically lock after a certain period of idle time.
There are also ways to lock the phone remotely or wipe the data if the phone is stolen. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said users who lose their phone should call the company immediately and “with a keystroke, we can prevent anyone else from using the phone –and from running up charges.” Many companies offer software and services to protect mobile phones and even locate the device. A start-up company called Lookout offers a web-based service that backs up the data, remotely wipes the data if the phone is stolen, can help locate the device, and includes antivirus and firewall protection.
Mobile phone users should be careful about leaving their phone unattended, or loaning it to people. Spyware can be installed without you knowing it. For example, the “PhoneSnoop” program can be used with Blackberry phones to remotely turn the microphone on to eavesdrop on nearby conversations.
Can mobile phones get viruses?
YES! Mobile viruses, worms and trojans have been around for many years. Most of these infections typically arrive via e-mail, but can also spread via SMS and other means. In fact, in November 2009, several worms hit the iPhone. One worm changes the wallpaper to a photo of 80s pop singer Rick Astley of “Rickrolling” fame. The second, more dangerous worm attempts to remotely control and steal data such as bank login IDs. iPhones have also been hacked via SMS. Most of these infections affect iphones that are “jail broken” so they can run apps other than those approved by Apple.
Other Types of Attacks
Just like computer users, smartphone users are vulnerable to e-mail and web-based attacks like phising and other social-engineering efforts. Attackers create malicious web pages and lure someone to visit the site where malware can then be downloaded on the mobile device. Smartphone users should avoid clicking on links in e-mails and text messages on their mobile device. SMS offers another avenue for attack.
Is it safe to use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth?
Yes and no. If you are doing something sensitive on your phone, don’t use the free Wi-Fi at a coffee shop or other areas. Rather, use your password-protected home Wi-Fi to avoid what is called the “man-in-the-middle” attack in which traffic is intercepted.
Pairing a mobile phone with another Bluetooth-enabled device means any device that can “discover” another Bluetooth device can send unsolicited messages or do things that could lead to extra fees, data being compromised or corrupted, data stolen in an attack called “bluesnarfing”, or the device being infected with a virus. To be safe, disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth unless you absolutley need to use them.
What about standard mobile phones?
Regular non web-enabled mobile phones don’t pose the web-based threats that web-enabled mobile phones and smartphones do. But they are still used to store sensitive information that can be accessed by gaining access to the devices. However, many non web-enabled phones support or are Java based leaving them as susceptible to certain threats that smartphones are. For instance, scammers in Russia and Indonesia are hiding a Trojan in pirated software that sends SMS messages to premium rate numbers – costing you as much as $5 each.
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courtesy: cnet.com
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