Is your Smartphone vulnerable to attack?

Marc Crosby 12th Dec 2014 No Comments

Reading Time: 2 minutes

It’s not just your computer but also your smartphone vulnerable to attack from cyber criminals.

A new cyber threat has been discovered which has targeted politicians and diplomats and spans 60 mobile networks.

The threat was discovered by Blue Coat, an internet security company, who described it as ‘”one of the most sophisticated malware attacks” that they had ever seen.

 

Once on your phone, the malware steals data and even records phone calls as MP4 files which the attackers can then listen to.

Quite insidiously, the malware is sophisticated not because it can get on your phone, which is quite easy, but rather because it is able to remain hidden without you knowing it is there.

 

 

In this instance the threat was extremely advanced and attacking high profile targets by sending app updates and multimedia messages, but it does raise an important point for all smartphone users.

TK Keanini, Lancope CTO, said: “People need to realise we are computing and communicating much more on our Smartphones than we are on our PCs these days. It is for this reason that adversaries will spend time and resources developing technology for these platforms.”

 

 

We’ve already written about potential threats to your Smartphone in the past, but it’s important that we stay vigilant against further dangers.

Here are some general things to be aware of to keep your phone safe:

• Set a password – without a password anyone can pick up your phone and use it.
• Encrypt sensitive data – there is software available which will allow you to password protect information.
• Switch your wireless off when you’re not in a secure area – As with a laptop, connecting to unknown wireless networks can leave you vulnerable to attacks.
• Be cautious when downloading apps – Don’t download an app unless you know what it is, and always read the terms and conditions so you know exactly what the app is able to access.
• Get security software – Just like with your PC, you can now get security software for your Smartphone. Thankfully this isn’t as expensive as PC security software and you can even get free apps to help keep your Smartphone safe.

 

Share with your friends to let them know the risk and let us know in the comments below if you’ve been the victim of any nasty hackers.