Protecting the Privacy of Your Data Stored on Smartphones
Two articles at USA Today and the Wall Street Journal offer suggestions on how to protect the privacy of the data held on your cellphone. Security precautions for mobile phone data are important, as shown in a recent article in New Scientist. A reporter learned much can be gleaned from the devices after she handed some over to “DiskLabs, a company that handles cellphone forensic analysis for UK police forces, but also for private companies and individuals snooping on suspect employees or wayward spouses.”
The Wall Street Journal reports that text messaging is one place scammers like to attack.
That includes phishing scams, which attempt to acquire personal data such as passwords or credit-card account information through fraudulent messages. These scams have spread from email to text messaging. Here the best protection should be familiar: Be skeptical of any messages that ask for passwords, account numbers or any other personal information. When in doubt, check directly with the company that claims to be asking for the information.
Multimedia messages — photo attachments sent like text messages — also pose a threat. A message could contain a virus that not only can tap into any information stored on your phone but also dig into your phone’s address book to spread itself to all of your contacts. Other versions might spread by using the phone’s Bluetooth connection to attack nearby devices.
Applications could be another security vulnerability, the Journal says. “One way to head off potential problems is to limit the access applications have to your phone’s functions. For example, some games require access to your Internet connection so that they can compare your scores to those of other players. But many applications don’t need this capability, and if you find that one of those apps does have access to your connection, it could be a sign that something is amiss.”
Kim Komando at USA Today explains, “A determined thief could probably uncover credit card numbers. He could find passwords and various account numbers. [...] If it’s a work phone, a criminal could gain entry into your company’s network.”
She recommends tracking and remote erasure of smartphones. But, she warns, “These tools can be lifesavers, but, they aren’t foolproof. Tracking only works when the phone is powered on. A thief could also cut the cellular connection by putting the phone in airplane mode. He could then browse your data.”
She urges other security precautions to protect your privacy. “So, encrypt your sensitive data whenever possible. Take time and password-protect your phone.”
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November 19th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
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