Are you buzzing about the new Verizon Blackberry Storm or the T Mobile G1? They are the new crave and everyone wants one right? What these owners many not know are the security risks that surround the raving technology. Most of the unawareness starts at companies and customers not placing more significance on security as smartphones get smarter. Although a smartphone may not be at greater risk than a PC, some security issues and risks are still present with PDA’s and smartphones.
In the United Kingdom, a whooping 800,000 people were the victim of mobile phone theft in 2006. Even though 90 percent of these phones deactivated within 48 hours, what happened to the other 10% of users that lost data to the crime. Smartphones are linked to the corporate network and are as vital as a laptop on the company network. Also, you cannot stop your employees from having accidents by underestimating these devices.
Mobile phone operators can stop SIM cards and stop expensive calls from being made. However, a smartphone differs from regular mobile phones. Executives carry all kinds of information on the device, from confidential announcements, to financial results and business in progress. If any of these were ever lost, it could result in the lost of business and trust within company IT infrastructures.
It is important to recognize the dangers before permitting a full mobile device network within the company. When sending emails, texts, and using smartphone applications may seem harmless, however your phone could be very vulnerable to hijacker attacks. We will explore some security issues that surround some of the primary smartphones leading the markets today and address how to mitigate users’ risk of being attacked.
Some of the issues that smartphones are having problems with securing encryption keys that can unlock cell phone holders’ private information. Digital signatures are also being compromised through man in the