This week saw the release of the Norton Cybercrime Report 2011, claiming that our reliance and newfound addiction to the smartphone has led to a colossal rise in cyber crime. While smartphones are viewed as a wonder of technology, they are ultimately “a fully fledged computer that’s sitting in your pocket”, and one that can ultimately deceive you.
The smartphone is used by the average person to store emails, bank details, twitter and Facebook accounts. However, Cryptocard’s Jason Hart opened up about how smartphones will in fact be the downfall of technology. Mr Hart described how all a criminal would have to do it set up an ‘evil-twin’ Wi-Fi connection and if people connect to it, within seconds their passwords and other sensitive data could be compromised.
Cyber criminals are now starting to focus on mobile devices not only because people are using them more for personal transactions such on online banking and shopping, but also because people are unaware of the evolving threats and lack of security on a mobile device, therefore they are extremely easy to hack in to. Consumers often forget simple things such as having a strong password, regular backups of their data, using secure wireless connections, and general vigilance.
“The proliferation of ‘smart’ mobile devices with access to the Internet has widened the cyber criminals playground and given them more avenues to launch malicious attacks”.
Cyber crime is real, and in no way different from offline crime. In the real world, we are cautious about sharing information with strangers, and we should be no different when using mobile technology.
So what can you do to prevent cyber crime on your mobile device? Contact Metadigm who can help you eliminate threats before hackers cause you any harm!
