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Mobile Security Becoming A Hotter Topic
Doug Caverly
Staff Writer
2009-12-21
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A lot of security-related talk revolves around computers, and rightly so - historically, they've been the most vulnerable electronic device. But as cell phones get more and more advanced, experts are pointing out that it may prove necessary to be careful when using them, too.
 | | Mobile Security Becoming A Hotter Topic |  |
Brad Stone recently noted a number of ways in which phones can be compromised. On the most basic level, many smartphones are, of course, threatened by the same "don't click on that" stuff that can harm computers. Visiting a malware-infected site or downloading a virus isn't certain to be safe just because a person's not sitting in front of a large monitor.
Then there are applications to consider. Smartphone users are growing used to getting powerful little software bundles for free, and in the same way that people used to harm their computers while trying to download screensavers, they can do unpleasant things to their phones will trying to acquire a new game or restaurant finder.
Phones' connectivity can pose a problem, too. Stone wrote that the cofounders of a security company called Lookout "have been publicly demonstrating the weaknesses of mobile phones for some time. In 2005, they camped outside the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood and scanned the phones of stars walking the red carpet, using a short-range Bluetooth wireless connection. They found that as many as 100 of the phones were vulnerable to hacking over such a connection."
Consider demonstrating some care while using your phone, then, and perhaps power down before wandering near any hackers' conventions, too.
About the Author:
Doug is a staff writer for SecurityProNews, InternetFinancialNews, SearchNewz, and WebProNews.
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