With rising threat of mobile malware, Mobile companies are launching secure smartphones

The recent rise in mobile malware have made Mobile phones vulnerable to data leakage and tempering of sensitive information such as business documents, bank details, credit card information and make purchases. Malware client called Pegasus have been found that can  jailbreak your smartphone, ultimately installing a client that can seize data, according to Symantec reports.

 

Smartphone malware infections have surged 96% from 2015 to 2016, according to the Nokia Threat Intelligence Report; and 71% of phones have no security features to defend against this data-stealing software, according to a survey by Alcatel-Lucent Motive. “Our mobile devices are small digital assistants that carry as much—if not more—very personal information as our desktop or laptop,” says personal security expert Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity. “A lost, stolen or hacked phone provides an efficient way for a thief to steal your identity or drain your bank account.”

 

Smartphone users throughout the world have been very concerned after Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, leaked that NSA gathers huge amounts of information from cloud computing platforms and wireless carriers, including the numbers ordinary people called and the times they called them. Modern smartphones and the apps running on them are engineered to collect and disseminate enormous amounts of user data such as location, Web browsing histories, search terms, and contact lists.

 

All smartphones, as computers, are preferred targets of attacks. These attacks exploit weaknesses inherent in smartphones that can come from the communication mode—like Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), wifi, Bluetooth and GSM, the de facto global standard for mobile communications. There are also exploits that target software vulnerabilities in the browser or operating system. And some malicious software relies on the weak knowledge of an average user.

 

Mobile phone security has become increasingly important in mobile computing. Of particular concern is the security of personal and business information now stored on smartphones. Some general security features that should be employed by users include install antivirus and firewall. The users should also continuously update their operating system, these updates typically include fixes for security issues found in the old operating system. The apps which are no longer needed should be deleted.

 

Next, make sure your phone automatically updates your remaining apps. On an iPhone, go into Settings, scroll to “iTunes & App Store,” and check that “Updates” is selected for Automatic Downloads. For Android, open “Settings” in the menu section of the Play Store app to verify that you have the “Auto-update apps” feature turned on. And of course, all apps containing personal data, whether it relates to banking, email, or just your Amazon account, should also be password-protected.

 

While it’s usually not too bad to use public Wi-Fi for web searches, Netflix and the news, avoid entering in any passwords or personal deets, like your credit card number. “If you do have to access your email or make a purchase, switch over to your cellphone’s data plan connection, which is much more private,” Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance says. For the same reason, turn off your Bluetooth whenever you’re not actively using it.

 

One way to help protect yourself is by using a virtual private network (VPN), which is software that encrypts your wireless session across a public network. Some devices (like a company-issued phone) come with a built-in VPN or can be brought from strores.“Some people use VPN for all of their wireless access, even in their home,” Kaiser says. “It’s safer than just a secure Wi-Fi network with a password.

 

Not locking your phone is like leaving the door wide open to hackers. So make sure your auto-lock function activates after a short period of inactivity, say one minute, and create a powerful password. “Set up both a biometric security measure, meaning a finger tap or swipe, as well as a passcode,” Kaiser says.