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Hackers Are Going After Smart Phones
Posted August 27, 2012 in Education, Membership, Technology
Below is a piece that I came across that I felt may be of interest to many of our members. We are all familiar with computers getting viruses or being hacked into, but how many of you knew that you could get a virus on your smart phone? Two of the main ways that people become more vulnerable to this type of danger would be by connecting to an unsecured Wi-Fi connection and through downloading apps. Personally, I rarely research an app before installing it on my phone, but after reading this article, that is going to change. This article was published on www.insuretrust.com and I have included the full text below.
“When it comes to computers, most of us are at least somewhat familiar with the nefarious tools at a hacker’s disposal, including viruses, spyware, and bogus emails. However, virtually none of us have been exposed to such security threats on our smart phones. Yet.
The number of attacks against mobile devices is increasing, and experts see this trend only getting worse. The main reason is the huge number of people who now own smart phones and use them more and more like handheld computers, to store sensitive data, bank online, and conduct private conversations via text messages, for example.
According to Trend Micro, the malware count for Android devices is 25,000. Taking on the appearance of legitimate apps (some very popular – like Skype and Instagram), the malware can steal data, spy on phone activity, or defraud users engaging in mobile purchasing.
The iPhone operating system (iOS) and App Store were free of such problems until recently, when reports The Register, an app called Find and Call snuck past Apple’s screeners. The app secretly stole users’ contacts and also tracked their location. Other instances of hacks against Apple devices are likely in the future.
But inadvertently installing rogue apps isn’t the only way your phone can be hacked. Using an unsecured Wi-Fi connection gives a cyber criminal much easier access to your phone. So does failing to password protect your phone in the event of theft or loss.
Considering the value of data stored on smart phones, it is surprising that only a fraction of users have security apps (think of them as antivirus software for a phone) in place to help guard against attacks. Hackers know this, which makes smart phones even more of a target.
As if all this weren’t bad enough news for the individual, it is even a more complex problem for businesses, because many employees conduct at least some work functions on their smart phones, leaving potentially valuable data vulnerable to hackers”
This article was published by INSUREtrust.com
Jeremiah Jones
Technology Chairman
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