McGeeks Blog » Mobile Computing http://www.scbp.net Johnny Doe, meet the McGeeks. Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:04:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 The Data, Experts and Examples Agree: Mobile Security Is Heavily Overlooked http://www.scbp.net/2011/07/11/the-data-experts-and-examples-agree-mobile-security-is-heavily-overlooked/ http://www.scbp.net/2011/07/11/the-data-experts-and-examples-agree-mobile-security-is-heavily-overlooked/#comments Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:04:49 +0000 Sean http://www.scbp.net/?p=88 Cell phones, smart phones, tablets, netbooks and countless other mobile computing devices are a huge convenience for many of us, however they’re also too-often a huge open window into our lives and personal information for someone with a little bit of knowledge and malicious intentions.
Making the news recently has been the cases of phone hacking by British Tabloids. From victims of brutal crimes to the Royal Family, nobody was safe.
Not getting quite the same news coverage, but equally disturbing, have been numerous cases of intrusions into individual’s personal information on smaller scales, but for much more notorious reasons than hack journalism.
Now, none of this is really cause for heading for the hills after turning off and unplugging all of your electronics. But the fact is, mobile devices require a bit of due dilligance by the user to help secure them better (there is no absolute security available to the general public) from such attacks.
A few things to keep in mind or that you can do to help protect yourself and your mobile devices are:
Keep The Default Settings
Most devices and pre-installed software on them will come to you with the default settings configured, and these default settings are typically the most secure configurations, so unless you have some really good reason for changing them, and have a full understandning of what each change you make will do, leave them as is.
Keep Up To Date
It can be an annoyance, but that’s part of the cost with security. Check for software/OS updates for your devices on a regular basis.
Boyfriend’s Names Make Bad Passwords, Ditto Pet Names
Always use strong passwords, with a mixture of lower and upper case lettering, and include some numbers and symbols if possible as well. A good password isn’t one that’s easy for you to remember, it’s one that’s impossible for anybody else to guess.
Don’t Allow Devices/Browser Software To Auto-Login To Sites For You
This seems like a convenience feature, but it means that your password is being stored in a readable format somewhere on your device, and that makes it vulnerable to prying eyes.
Free Often Has A Heavy Price
People love their apps, and people really love free apps, but before you install anything on your mobile device you should be sure to investigate the source and developers. It’s very easy to slip something that you really might not want into a piece of software or coding, then spread it out to the masses by offering it as a freebie, so know who you are dealing with before allowing them into your device.
Understand That Public Networks Are Open To The Public
See that shady character sitting across from you on the bus? The one with the hoodie up over his head and the devilishly pointed goatee. Would you step across the aisle and invite him into your home for tea tonight without a proper introduction first? Of course not, but you may be doing just that by utilizing a public Wi-Fi network, because a majority of public networks aren’t encrypted, which means logging on to them opens your data and device up to attack from any other users out there. This doesn’t mean you should avoid public networks, it just means you should be vigilant about what you do while on them.
Talk To Your Mobile Device/Service Providers
Believe it or not, most devices and service plans will come with a lot of good information about safe usage practices. Sadly, most of us (myself included) typically can’t be bothered reading through those little booklets until we have a problem, and by that time it’s usually too late. Still, you can always go back now and browse through the booklet(s), or if you’ve misplaced it (threw it away after turning your device on), you can always contact the support departments of your service provider and ask them for some tips or best practices ideas to keep you and your data safe.
Happy (and safe) computing!

Cell phones, smart phones, tablets, netbooks and countless other mobile computing devices are a huge convenience for many of us, however they’re also too-often a huge open window into our lives and personal information for someone with a little bit of knowledge and malicious intentions.

Making the news recently has been the cases of phone hacking by British Tabloids. From victims of brutal crimes to the Royal Family, nobody was safe.

Not getting quite the same news coverage, but equally disturbing, have been numerous cases of intrusions into individual’s personal information on smaller scales, but for much more notorious reasons than hack journalism.

Now, none of this is really cause for heading for the hills after turning off and unplugging all of your electronics. But the fact is, mobile devices require a bit of due diligence by the user to help secure them better (there is no absolute security available to the general public) from such attacks.

A few things to keep in mind or that you can do to help protect yourself and your mobile devices are:

Keep The Default Settings

Most devices and pre-installed software on them will come to you with the default settings configured, and these default settings are typically the most secure configurations, so unless you have some really good reason for changing them, and have a full understanding of what each change you make will do, leave them as is.

Keep Up To Date

It can be an annoyance, but that’s part of the cost with security. Check for software/OS updates for your devices on a regular basis.

Boyfriend’s Names Make Bad Passwords, Ditto Pet Names

Always use strong passwords, with a mixture of lower and upper case lettering, and include some numbers and symbols if possible as well. A good password isn’t one that’s easy for you to remember, it’s one that’s impossible for anybody else to guess.

Don’t Allow Devices/Browser Software To Auto-Login To Sites For You

This seems like a convenience feature, but it means that your password is being stored in a readable format somewhere on your device, and that makes it vulnerable to prying eyes.

Free Often Has A Heavy Price

People love their apps, and people really love free apps, but before you install anything on your mobile device you should be sure to investigate the source and developers. It’s very easy to slip something that you really might not want into a piece of software or coding, then spread it out to the masses by offering it as a freebie, so know who you are dealing with before allowing them into your device.

Understand That Public Networks Are Open To The Public

See that shady character sitting across from you on the bus? The one with the hoodie up over his head and the devilishly pointed goatee. Would you step across the aisle and invite him into your home for tea tonight without a proper introduction first? Of course not, but you may be doing just that by utilizing a public Wi-Fi network, because a majority of public networks aren’t encrypted, which means logging on to them opens your data and device up to attack from any other users out there. This doesn’t mean you should avoid public networks, it just means you should be vigilant about what you do while on them.

Talk To Your Mobile Device/Service Providers

Believe it or not, most devices and service plans will come with a lot of good information about safe usage practices. Sadly, most of us (myself included) typically can’t be bothered reading through those little booklets until we have a problem, and by that time it’s usually too late. Still, you can always go back now and browse through the booklet(s), or if you’ve misplaced it (threw it away after turning your device on), you can always contact the support departments of your service provider and ask them for some tips or best practices ideas to keep you and your data safe.

Happy (and safe) computing!

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]]> http://www.scbp.net/2011/07/11/the-data-experts-and-examples-agree-mobile-security-is-heavily-overlooked/feed/ 0 Is Your Mobile Phone At Risk Of Attack? http://www.scbp.net/2008/11/29/is-your-mobile-phone-at-risk/ http://www.scbp.net/2008/11/29/is-your-mobile-phone-at-risk/#comments Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:51:28 +0000 Heather http://www.scbp.net/?p=43 With more and more people surfing the web on mobile devices it’s a fact that some malicious people have devised ways to invade and attack them.

There are dozens of known mobile phone viruses and security threats already, and it’s a safe bet that more will be popping up in the future.

Since we’re all about safe computing, which would include safe mobile computing, here’s some information on effective anti-virus measures for mobile phones.

Several mobile phones

Image via Wikipedia

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The 4 Effective Anti-Viruses For Mobile Phones

by David H. Urmann

There are effective anti-viruses software that can protect your mobile phones from being attacked by malicious programs. These include Zebra Virus Cleaner, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Commander Mobile Anti-Virus and F-Secure Mobile Anti-virus.There are more than forty mobile phone viruses and threats that have been reported. Apparently, these viruses can badly damage your phone and can cause it to be of no use at all. Therefore, getting an anti-virus is vital to keep your mobile running well and efficient.

Zebra Virus Cleaner

One of the most effective anti-viruses that you can implement on your mobile phone is the Zebra Virus Cleaner for Symbian OS Smart Phone. This is a dependable anti-virus software that can protect your mobile from being assaulted by malevolent programs. Zebra Virus Cleaner can identify and clean rootkits, Lasco, Cabir, Skulls, plus nearly a thousand of viruses including Trojans and worms from your smart phone. It also provides security for all your personal files and information. Zebra Virus Cleaner scans quickly and gets rid of viruses completely in real time, easy to adopt and has a friendly feature. The users can set the time to scan and update automatically.

The Kaspersky Anti-Virus

With the growing recognition of smart phones and communicators, your phones may not be safe from malicious programs that were increasing both in numbers and variety. The Kaspersky Anti-Virus is the appropriate and reliable solution that will keep your mobile phones from such programs that affect the mobile platforms. It was developed and combined the latest technology of the Kasperky Lab technologies, experts in the antivirus field. Their solution offers competent armor for your smart phone and personal files.

Commander Mobile Anti-Virus

One of the most effective defends against mobile phones harmful content, unwanted messages and malfunctioning applications is the Commander Mobile Anti-Virus. With this anti-virus, you can scan both the principal memory and memory cards, thus providing an absolute and prompt protection. It can detect viruses such as Cabir and thoroughly remove them from the system. All files are automatically inspected when they are copied, synchronized, modified, saved, or downloaded. This will definitely put off corruption of your mobile phone files.

F-Secure Mobile Anti-virus

F-Secure Mobile Anti-virus is uncomplicated to adopt and does not need excess device resources or pointless user interaction. By design, it examines all files both in the device and on the memory cards. When a corrupted file is found, it is directly isolated to protect all the other data in the system. When the data connection is applied for emails and web browsing, the anti-virus database is updated unnoticeably in the background. F-Secure anti-virus also safeguards mobile computing by bringing together an integrated anti-virus and firewall. This platform makes available a remedy and automated security thru real time. The F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus scans both the incoming and outgoing internet packets to thwart malicious, unsafe, or possibly destructive packets. F-Secure is also uncomplicated to apply.

These mobile software anti-viruses help us to stay composed and prepared for the attacks of malicious programs that can virtually impair the system of our phones. The defenses that they build into the network layer are the most valuable system of protection. In selecting mobile antivirus solution, look for the one that supports your device as well as its operating system. Also, the anti-virus software should be trouble-free to use, has over the air updates and a real time virus scanning and should scan all attachments for viruses. Although anti-viruses may significantly decelerate your mobile phone but it is beyond doubt the best protection.

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