The sale of smartphones – mobile phones that offer computing capabilities – are on the rise with no end in sight. According to the Associated Press, “Worldwide, consumer electronics makers shipped 100.9 million smartphones in the last three months of 2010, an 87 percent jump from a year earlier. PC shipments were weaker than expected, edging up just 3 percent to 92.1 million.”
With smartphones flying off the shelves in record numbers, everyone is taking notice – including people who create malicious software or malware.
These cybercriminals who traditionally use e-mail ploys to compromise personal computers are now diversifying into the smartphone market. Information technology security providers are trying to protect consumers from potential exploits.
Mandeep Khera, chief marketing officer for Cenzic, a software company that caters to SaaS (cloud services) and web security providers, recently told TechNewsWorld, “For consumers, as banks and e-commerce sites deploy apps that give customers unprecedented access to their bank accounts, security becomes more important than ever.”
Here are a few tips to help you avoid malware attacks on your smartphone:
- Only download mobile applications (apps) from your smartphone’s official store or from trusted sources such as your employer.
- Some mobile apps are just intelligent shortcuts that point your data to the cloud as opposed to storing data directly on your phone. Before using these apps, always familiarize yourself with the service they represent and read the service provider’s privacy policy on its website.
- When downloading an app, first check the reviews to see if other users reported any problems.
- On the Android market, you can see what areas of your phone an app may access. If it looks suspicious, don’t download it.
- Exercise the same caution when browsing websites on your phone as you would on your PC. If a link or e-mail looks suspicious, don’t click it.
- Turn off your Wi-Fi when you’re not using it in public as this can potentially give criminals a path into your phone.
- Verify before you click on any unknown text or e-mail message, game, application or security update.
- Never give out confidential information via mail, smartphone or on the Web.