Most computer users know to go online only with proper security software in place. They don’t always think to do the same when using smartphones, even though smartphones represent an ever-growing share of Internet-ready devices. This negligent attitude is unwise, experts warn.
Viruses, worms, and Trojans: Almost all users are now aware that these malicious programs can infect computers. Many users know to use software to guard against them.
Yet there’s little consideration of the fact that smartphones are essentially pocket-sized computers and as such are vulnerable to infection by viruses. The consequences could be more than just non-functional devices. In theory an attacker could undertake a major raid on the user’s data.
Telephone calls have become a secondary function of many smartphones. Users can download numerous small programs known as apps onto the handset to add in extra functionality. These applications are often free and can perform tasks ranging from finding the closest post box, navigating a city, or simply playing a game.
“A smartphone is nothing less than a mini high-performance computer,” says Toralv Dirro, an expert at anti-virus maker McAfee.
Yet because smartphones don’t look like a computer, many users forget to take security into account, Dirro says. It’s a bad step to skip, however.
“The security issues are the same as for computers,” he says. Apps can often access the user’s personal data, including the telephone book and current location via GPS. Yet in the words of Sascha Pfeiffer from anti-virus maker Sophos, “There are extremely few programs that really need access to my data.”
Yet it seems that every application nevertheless wants access to as much as possible, which opens the door for dodgy or even criminal providers to sneak in. About a fifth of the roughly 48,000 apps available for the Google mobile OS Android are a security risk, a recent…