Smartphone security sacrificed for convenience
By Paul Smithson
17/10/2011
People are increasingly at risk of losing sensitive information via their smartphones, as cyber criminals are upping their production of malware.
Sky News spoke to Bitdefender representative Catalin Cosoi, who claimed the amount of malicious software targeting Android customers has increased 2,000 per cent in the past year and is expected to rise by 6,000 per cent in the next six months.
The news provider suggested it can be the emphasis on the convenience of smartphones over their secure use that is causing problems for consumers and IT professionals dealing with remote system management.
"Once you have had a smartphone, you probably can't go back to an older version of a phone now that you have access to a computer, social media, emails, pictures and so on. You sort of get addicted, so smartphones are becoming very important," added Mr Cosoi.
Among the details that could be lost via smartphones are log-in details, bank account numbers and many vital passwords.
Scotsman.com cited research by Juniper Networks showing that 70 per cent of us hold sensitive information on our phones, making the protection of such devices vital.
It described how mobile phones have "grown up" into supercomputers and people need to treat them appropriately. This includes acknowledging the threat to security that exists.
