The SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security) Institute, a cooperative research and education organization that is comprised of more than 165,000 security professionals worldwide, released earlier this year their "Top 10 Cyber Security Menaces for 2008." Number 4 on that list iss "Mobile Phone Threats, Especially iPhones and Android-Based Phones; Plus VoIP." The Institute states that since mobile phones are being used, more and more, as general purpose computers, the environment is ripe for attacks via worms, viruses, and other malware. This outlook should have many corporate directors, officers, and legal counsel extremely worried, since businesses are frequently relying on their handheld devices to communicate both internally and externally.
A colleague of mine, who is an attorney, recently commented to me, that one of the main reasons why he switched to a particular phone is the fact that he was able to open up client files and respond in "real time" to a client e-mail. As the telecommunications industry, specifically mobile phone companies, move towards a more open platform, the Institute sees an era of "unforeseen security nightmares" approaching.
Today, The Associated Press, wrote an article, by Jordan Robertson, which highlights the "next" target of attacks by computer hackers – cell phones that can access the Internet. The article points out, that of particular concern to security experts, is the fact that as cell phones get more computing power and better Internet connectivity, hackers will be able to capitalize on vulnerabilities in mobile-phone operating systems or Web applications. Researchers from Georgia Tech conclude that the biggest appeal to hackers, with regards to cell phones, is that they are always on, can send and receive data, and typically have poor security. Anti-virus software would suck up much of the battery life on the mobile phone, which would be a killer to the industry, as far as quality of service is concerned.
There are many challenges that the hackers have to overcome, in order to target this industry, but as Web browsing and surfing become more popular with cell phone users, the closer hackers will come to accomplishing their objectives. Corporations will need to have protections and policies in place that will nip this problem in the bud when it becomes epidemic, or possibly face a huge amount of fines from regulatory agencies, punitive damages, or both.
To learn more about this article, please click here: Cell Phones that can access the Internet are the next target for hackers, researchers say