If Your Mobile Phone Does More than Make Calls, It Needs Protection Too

Face it, the days of having a mobile phone that simply makes calls are long gone. So as the computing power of our smart phones grows, so too must the measures we take to protect them ... just as we do for our computers and laptops. Below are some of the latest issues that should be on your security radar.




Malware-Infected Apps:
Sadly, mobile malware is on the rise. It is becoming more common and more dangerous, particularly on the Android platform. Google itself has even revealed that malware may now impact some 5 million Android users.

Smishing:
SMS phishing, or "smishing," is to cell phones what phishing is to PCs and laptops. This new and rapidly growing threat is designed to trick the user into visiting a compromised website and/or giving out personal information. The messages contain warnings like "Visit here to cancel your $20/month subscription," or enticements like "Click here to claim your $25 reward."

Man-in-the-Middle (or Man-in-the-Browser) Exploits: This tactic is gaining popularity on both mobile and PC platforms. The most common method for this scam involves a compromised hotspot, where an attacker hijacks an unencrypted Wi-Fi access point, then delivers phony versions of various websites to users who are connected to the web through that access point. These fake sites look just like the real thing, so a user connected to a restaurant's free Wi-Fi and contacting his bank, webmail provider, or online shopping site doesn't realize his name, address and credit card number might be going directly to this hacker.