Time to Secure Your Mobile Phone

December 12th, 2012
Time to Secure Your Mobile Phone

Mobile applications are so popular that by 2014 their consumer spending is estimated to reach a whopping 25.5 billion dollars. That’s more than the revenue generated by professional United States basketball, football, baseball and hockey – combined1. Unfortunately, as the industry grows, so do users’ exposure to malware and hacking, making it more likely for mobile devices to get infected by malicious code.

Apps are constantly being purchased because they are so easy for users to download, install and use. They’re also an easy way for designers to make a profit, and unfortunately for us, an easy way for criminals to infect devices and exploit confidential information. Standard developer toolkits can be used to make malicious apps, so they’re easy to design and next to impossible for users to spot because of their seemingly safe appearance. This doesn’t only apply to pre-coded templates, but to existing apps as well.  Apps created to gather personal information are especially dangerous because they are the ideal target for hackers. If left unsecured, hackers can simply adjust a few lines of coding and create information-stealing malware. Any type of information can be stolen and exploited, ranging anywhere from location and contacts, to confidential documents or passwords. For example, in January 2010, two credit unions discovered a “banking” app in Google’s Android Market that tricked customers into entering their private financial information, which ultimately was put into the hands of a cybercriminal2. Google quickly removed the app and 50 others written by the same hacker, but the damage had already been done and confidential financial information had been leaked.  

We know that most downloaders have a habit of just clicking and granting access to apps without reading the permissions notices closely, or even reading them at all, so many don’t  know they’re allowing apps to view their personal information. Even if users don’t choose to share information, many apps are designed to collect it anyways.  Despite people’s growing awareness and the fact that end users are becoming more precautious, it’s nevertheless impossible to completely eliminate the spread of malware. While you can’t eliminate it, you can defend against it.

Protect your customers and business so you never have to worry about information slipping into the wrong hands. DirectNetworks protects against mobile hacking by testing and using code signing certificates to ensure application integrity, providing a mechanism in which deployment of applications can be controlled, and ultimately keeping networks and devices malware free. For more information contact us today at 608-270-9980 or info@directnetworksinc.com


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