Tag: mobile security problems

Mobile security threats change by region

| June 20, 2013

Geography has been found to play a considerable role in the type of issues faced by smartphone owners.

According to the latest report that has been issued by mobile security company, Lookout, threats seem to appear and linger in based on geographical factors, meaning that the types of malware and other dangerous problems that could lead to smartphone and tablet based issues differ from one place to another.

This report was considered to be the first of its kind and used threat data gleaned from the Lookout Platform.

The mobile security report took a deep look into the treats from five different countries and identified that the key issues are different from one area to the next. The five countries that were examined were: Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and India.

The report also pointed out that mobile security threats are continually and rapidly evolving.

Mobile security by regionAccording to Lookout, within the report, “As mobile marches on, the threat landscape continues to evolve. Like any entrepreneur, the bad guys go where the opportunity exists and focus on the business models that are most successful – and like many businesses, there are differences that can be seen at the country level based on economics of a given region.”

At the same time that the report was issued, Lookout also released an infographic to underscore the largest threats in mobile security, based on location. The types of threat that were analyzed included adware, chargeware, spyware, surveillance, and Trojans. In all countries, it was adware that dominated the detections in each of the countries, as a result of the lack of solid guidelines to outline what is and is not acceptable for smartphone advertising, and because unscrupulous methods are proving to generate greater payouts.

Surveillance was found to be a popular form of mobile security threat in the United States, after marketers that use it have identified a quasi-legal position in which to apply it. As the barrier to entry is lower in this market, it gives developers the opportunity to target a wider audience. Similarly, Germany had the largest instance of Trojans and the United Kingdom saw the largest occurrence of chargeware. The number of threats in Japan were comparatively small next to the other countries in the report. India, on the other hand, saw a relatively high adware instance.

Mobile security risks are commonly overlooked by consumers

| February 6, 2013

Mobile Security risksWhile safety and privacy concerns are still high among smartphone users, they continue to take unnecessary chances.

Smartphones are being used for a growing number of tasks every day, from placing phone calls and sending and receiving texts, to communicating thorough email, making product purchases, banking, and a broad range of other activities that require a high level of mobile security.

Many of these device users are very conscious of risks, and yet their behaviors increase their chances of data theft.

The amount of sensitive data that is being stored on smartphones is incredible. It not only includes login information for email and social network accounts, but it also involves proof of insurance cards, credit and debit card numbers, identification numbers, and an entire directory of contact information for virtually everyone we know. But at the same time, many of us fail to make the right mobile security choices to ensure that this information stays out of the hands of others.

Mobile security efforts are not nearly as strong among consumers as the steps taken on PCs.

Many consumers are unaware of the fact that their devices could be hacked or become infected with a virus. Moreover, few have taken the steps required to stop this data from being used by someone who has stolen the device.

ABC News recently reported that there are ten foolish behaviors that many people either do or fail to do in the use of their mobile devices. They included the following:

• A lack of password protection for their phone in general and for individual apps and accounts.
• Failing to purge old smartphone data before disposing of the device.
• Making purchases through a smartphone browser instead of through a commerce application.
• Failing to log out of banking and payments apps.
• Connecting automatically to any WiFi connection that is available.
• Leaving the Bluetooth connection open while not in use.
• Storing highly sensitive data on smartphones, such as Social Security numbers, PINs, and bank or credit card account information, which require far more mobile security than the device is capable of providing.