AdaptiveMobile Blogs

17th January 2008    Current rating: 

This week brought news of a Trojan specifically designed for the iPhone. The application, which repeatedly shows the word “shoes” on the screen, wreaks its real havoc when users try to uninstall it. While this attack only affects unlocked iPhones -- a small number of the devices - and is not as debilitating as other mobile attacks, it has some key lessons for the mobile community.

The increasing openness of global wireless networks combined with more sophisticated smart phones and a proliferation of third-party (off-deck in US terms) content and applications mean the risks for mobile subscribers is increasing. Mobile viruses, spam, malware and Trojans as well as scams like pharming and phishing are going to increase globally.

This is a natural development to technological advances and the emergence of the true mobile Internet, and it should not become an alarmist situation

Similar to the PC world, subscribers should be aware of anything they download to or open on their mobile phone. What is different from the PC world is that mobile is a vastly different environment, so subscribers will need help in having an overall secure mobile experience. Given the complexity of mobile threats and the difficulty in securing the mobile environment, the best security solution will monitor and prevent threats on the mobile operator network. This will bypass the need for cumbersome and costly handset protection, which will compromise device speed and application space. 

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