Cell phones . . . They have become one of the greatest tools that we use daily. Even if you are against the whole smart phone thing, chances are you have a phone that receives phone calls at the very least. Cell phones have become a way of life, and with the increase in the use of smart phones comes the increase in possible attacks on your personal data.
Attacks on
your personal data are obviously nothing new, but the world of smart phones
are relatively untouched by attackers. There is an increase in attacks on smart
phones, but PC attacks are still where the money is at. David Goldman, CNNMoney author, states in his article “Your Smartphone Will (Eventually) BeHacked” that “Even users of Android -- the target of almost all mobile malware
-- are far less susceptible to attack than PC users. The growth in mobile
threats is dramatic, but the 13,000 different kinds of mobile malware McAfee
has found this year is still teeny compared with the 90 million threats it
detected for PCs.” I believe it won’t be long before smart phones become the
focal point.
Why?
The reasoning
is simple. Those that are hacking for money are going to go where the money is,
and as people do more and more personal tasks on their smart phones instead of
their PC, the attacks will shift to where the personal data is being stored.
Goldman also
states, “Smartphones have become personal computers that travel around with us
at all times. Mobile attacks are difficult, and the smartphone space may never
be as homogeneous as the PC market, but crooks follow the cash. As smartphones
become our primary devices, the cybercriminals' motivation for targeting them
grows. All it will take is one slip up by Apple or Google.”
So with this
possible shift in where the black hat hackers attacker, what can you do to
tighten security? In my research, I came across a great article that lays out
what you can do to protect your smart phone the best.
4 ways to Increase security
Pcmag.com
author, Neil J. Rubenking, gives us 4 ways to increase security on our Android
or iPhone. The full article can be read here: www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2403389,00.asp
Don't Break
Security
Numerous
studies have shown that the built-in security in Apple's iOS works very, very
well. It's not perfect, but it's significantly tighter than Android's.
The one way to
lose this protection? Jailbreak your iPhone. According to researcher Dino Dai
Zovi, a jailbroken iPhone is roughly as secure as a standard Android phone.
Jailbreak it and you throw away your security advantage.
Rooting an
Android phone is the equivalent of jailbreaking an iPhone. Some apps require
rooting; don't install those apps. Do note that the law-enforcment forensic
software mentioned earlier can automatically root an Android phone, and some
malware attacks can also root the phone.
A few high-end
Android phones automatically wipe all data when rooted. The thief will have
your smartphone, but not your personal data.
Don't Give
Permission
Every time you
install an Android app, you have to approve a laundry list of permissions.
Don't just click to allow them all. Read the entire list. If you find something
illogical, like a flashlight app asking for access to your email contacts,
cancel the installation. An Android app with no permissions whatever can still
get a small amount of information about your phone, but if you don't review the
permissions list you may be giving an app the keys to the kingdom.
You can only
get iPhone apps from the App Store, but Android apps are available outside the
Android Market. In China, the official Android Market isn't even available.
Android malware is rampant in China because there's no Google Bouncer to
suppress obviously malicious apps. Stick to the Android Market, or put your
phone at risk.
Apps for the
iPhone go through a rigorous vetting by Apple. In theory, an app requiring
unreasonable permissions wouldn't get past this process, though there have been
slip-ups. The main area where you have a choice involves apps that want to use
your location. Check the list of apps under Location Services in the iPhone's
settings, and turn it off for any apps that don't truly need your location.
Note that if you let the camera use location settings, every photo you upload
reveals exactly where you were at the time.
Crank Up
Security
When your
smartphone's operating system gets an update, it almost always includes patches
for security flaws. Don't delay; always install updates as soon as they're
available.
Android users
can prevent certain types of hack attacks by making a few simple changes to
settings. The USB Debugging feature gives hackers (or lawmen) easy access to
your Android phone via a USB connection to a PC. Disable USB debugging. If your
phone includes the option to use full disk encryption, enable it.
Those using
iPhones should check to see if backups are encrypted. If not, open iTunes,
delete the old backups and set a password to encrypt new backups. You can also
choose the SIM PIN option in Phone settings to ensure that a thief can't simply
eject your SIM and use it in another phone.
Get Help
You wouldn't
leave your PC naked, unprotected by an antivirus tool or security suite. Your
smartphone, especially if it's an Android device, can benefit from a mobile
security app.
In addition to
protection against mobile malware, these tools often come with a variety of
antitheft features. They'll let you check a lost or stolen phone's location,
lock the phone remotely, wipe or encrypt personal data, even snap a photo of
the thief.
Smartphones
put virtually all the power of a desktop computer in your pocket. Most of us
would sooner go out without pants than without our cherished phone. Take the
precautions listed here to keep your smartphone and its data as safe as
possible.
The message is
clear: stay one step in front of the attackers, and take the necessary steps to
protect your devices.
Please share
below the kind of software/apps you are using to protect your smart phone from
attacks.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/09/17/technology/smartphone-cyberattack/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2403389,00.asp
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