Smartphone Apps
Smartphone Apps Go (Truly) Viral Smartphones are beginning to be a growing trend in modern society. In 2009, Citigroup launched a new banking application for iPhone users. This particular application allowed customers to check their account balances and pay bills from their mobile device. Due to security flaws, hackers could have easily had accessed the banking information for the 118,000 customers who downloaded the application. However, Citigroup was able to discover the security flaw before a customer lost money or hackers were able to exploit it.
According to the text, it is anticipated that smartphones will outsell laptops, netbooks, PCs, and desktops by 2012. Smartphones are becoming bigger targets for malware creators. This means potential victims of malware (malicious software) and more customers for the security companies to protect. Companies such as Google make it easier for viruses to be contracted. Google does not check the applications posted in its Android market. Apple appears to be a more reliable source than Google because they check their applications before allowing users to download content to their iPhones.
People will look for anyway to advance in this world, but it is quite discouraging that our cell phones are being targeted, things are getting very personal. Consumers purchase new technology like smart phones and buy applications; most of them fail to realize the risk they put themselves in. Majority of the consumers do not know how the technology operates, they just know what it does for them. People must come to realization that hackers exist and their main priority goal is to steal from them. In general, with new technology being created and distributed to consumers we have to be more careful and mindful when utilizing such features. Hopefully the companies can get a hold of these “viral” apps because at this point, we really do not need one more attempt to invade our privacy.
Works Cited
Kharif, Olga. "Smartphone Apps Go
According to the text, it is anticipated that smartphones will outsell laptops, netbooks, PCs, and desktops by 2012. Smartphones are becoming bigger targets for malware creators. This means potential victims of malware (malicious software) and more customers for the security companies to protect. Companies such as Google make it easier for viruses to be contracted. Google does not check the applications posted in its Android market. Apple appears to be a more reliable source than Google because they check their applications before allowing users to download content to their iPhones.
People will look for anyway to advance in this world, but it is quite discouraging that our cell phones are being targeted, things are getting very personal. Consumers purchase new technology like smart phones and buy applications; most of them fail to realize the risk they put themselves in. Majority of the consumers do not know how the technology operates, they just know what it does for them. People must come to realization that hackers exist and their main priority goal is to steal from them. In general, with new technology being created and distributed to consumers we have to be more careful and mindful when utilizing such features. Hopefully the companies can get a hold of these “viral” apps because at this point, we really do not need one more attempt to invade our privacy.
Works Cited
Kharif, Olga. "Smartphone Apps Go
Cited: Kharif, Olga. "Smartphone Apps Go (Truly) Viral." Bloomberg Businessweek 18-24 Oct. 2010: 61-62. Web.