Mobile Security and You

I’m going away for the weekend, so this week’s update is coming to you a bit early. I also thought this would be a good chance to discuss Mobile Security, especially Anti-Theft tools.

Currently, the majority of all viruses and worms are aimed at the Android OS. Statistics say that 92% of all malware is targeted at Android devices, thanks to the open-source programmability designed by Google. This, coupled with a rising popularity over iPhones, has increased mobile infections significantly. This isn’t to say iOS and Windows smartphones aren’t completely immune to attacks. For iPhone users who ‘jailbreak’ their devices, there are viruses and worms that pose a threat and Windows is still in its infancy and isn’t much of a target, but so far there haven’t been any reported cases of attacks.

Viruses and Worms, the two big threats, are slightly more complicated to create for mobile devices since it is more difficult to actively infect these devices. In addition, a virus or worm must be written specifically for a mobile device OS, so you can’t pick up a desktop or Mac virus on your phone.

Most forms of viruses require mobile users to seek out and install Trojan applications, usually occurring when users download ‘cracks’ or imitations to avoid paying for apps. iPhone and Window’s users are protected by a ‘walled garden’, which filters all apps before making them available, with a fee charged to the developer. Google later implemented the ‘Google Play’ app as a similar product, but users are still free to download apps from other sites if they disable some security settings.

Worms, the more dangerous of the two, can infect a device through many other means, including BlueTooth, WiFi, SMS and MMS. Currently, only Android and ‘jailbroken’ iPhones are vulnerable to Worms.

Android users have access to Anti-Virus software which is a hard-line defence from all methods of infection. Both iPhone and Windows mobiles do not have Anti-Virus software available in their app stores, and although the risk to those devices are significantly low, they are extremely vulnerable if their systems are eventually hacked.

With mobile phone thefts on the rise, Anti-Theft software is another big issue some developers are tackling. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, an estimated 826,000 people in the United Kingdom had their phone stolen during the year of 2011/12. This has prompted governments to address concerns to mobile producers to incorporate more security into their mobile devices.

In the meantime, there are various applications you can get that offer a variety of features including Anti-Virus and Anti-Theft protection. For Android users, the top two products are avast! and Bitdefender Mobile Security and Antivirus. There is also a more universally available application called Prey, which works on iOS, Macs and Windows PCs; an ideal product for securing your laptops and notebooks.

These products, with the exception of Prey, also offer full anti-virus protection. avast! is a free product with premium available, but provides the basic tools necessary to protect your device. Prey is also free, but has limits on various abilities unless you pay for the premium service.

Anti-Theft protection can vary between products, but they offer multiple forms of protection and recovery. They can attempt to ping local WiFi networks or activate GPS to alert you to its location. They can activate the microphone or front camera to record thieves trying to access your device, some even activate an alarm if the SIM card is removed. Whichever product you decide to use, be sure to read into each one carefully, as they each offer a wide variety of options and abilities and with mobiles carrying increasingly sensitive data and costing a great deal, you’ll want to protect your investment.

You can find these products on the Google Play marketplace and you can also check out Prey here.