MOBILE OPERATING SYSTEM INSECURITY

provided by ur"s GowThaM
As more online retailers
introduce mobile ecommerce
applications, criminal hackers are
taking notice. Existing mobile
operating systems are under
attack and, like standard PC
operating systems, they
sometimes fail to provide the
necessary security to support a
payment application.
Current research is primarily
geared towards securing mobile
payments, but there is a lack of
coordination between mobile
payment developers, device
manufacturers, and mobile
operating system platform
developers. Hackers are taking
advantage of the loophole
created by this lack of
coordination.
Mobile phone spyware has been
a concern for years. Legitimate
software companies sell mobile
phone spyware that allows the
user to monitor a spouse, kids,
or employees. And criminals
deploy mobile phone spyware, as
well.
Beijing-based mobile security
services firm NetQin Technology
reports that an application called
Xwodi, which allows third parties
to eavesdrop on cell phone
conversations, has infected more
than 150,000 phones in China.
Apparently, the malware targets
mobiles running the Symbian
platform, and monitors phones
by silently activating the
conference call feature or
microphone.
One security company, Trusteer,
informed The New York Times,
“Mobile users are three times
more likely to fall for phishing
scams than PC users…because
mobile devices are activated all
the time, and small-screen
formatting makes the fraud more
difficult to spot.” In the same
article, another mobile security
firm, Lookout, claimed that in May
2010, 9 out of 100 phones
scanned for malware and
spyware were infected. That’s up
from 4 out of 100 infected
phones in December 2009.
Protect yourself by refraining
from clicking links in text
messages, emails, or unfamiliar
webpages displayed on your
phone’s browser. Set your mobile
phone to lock automatically and
unlock only when you enter a
PIN. Consider investing a service
that locates a lost phone, locks it,
and if necessary, wipes the data,
as well as restoring that data on
a new phone. Keep your phone’s
operating system updated with
the latest patches, and invest in
antivirus protection for your
phone.