Mobile malware: how to protect yourself and keep your information safe
Imagine your closest friend standing next to you. Now imagine your closest friend betraying all your secrets. And making a nice profit while he’s at it. Now imagine his smartphone inside his bag or pocket. Imagine your smartphone sending your passwords, banking information, emails, and private information to a stranger. And imagine that stranger making a nice profit. That’s mobile malware.
What really is mobile malware?
In more technical terms, mobile malware is the spread of malicious software (hence “mal-ware”) between wireless devices. Mobile malware is a nasty thing. It could compromise information on a mobile device, and there have even been cases of compromised devices used to extract information from personal computers (by hijacking USB sync). Mobile malware is another growing category of fraud that involves infecting mobile devices with viruses and Trojan horses that can force a mobile phone to perform unauthorized activities, such as making phone calls and deleting or stealing information.
Once installed on a device, mobile malware replicates itself and performs unwanted activities, such as using network services such as SMS or voice to make calls to PRS numbers or subscribing to unwanted billing schemes; data theft, where a user’s personal phone records, such as contact lists and account details, are stolen, sent to a third party, and erased from the phone; and launching distributed DoS attacks with the intent of forcing a legitimate service to fail.
Mobile malware is not only a threat to individuals, it is also a huge security risk to businesses. It has the potential to commandeer a rogue smartphone and use it as a proxy or gateway to an organization’s core network. By taking control of a handheld device, cybercriminals can bypass a standard firewall program and gain access to a company’s email server, customer database, customer relationship management tools, and other essential parts of the network . Damage of this magnitude can come from something very small, like a staff member receiving a message to download a free game or a software update.
Mobile malware is on the rise
Mobile malware is on the rise for several reasons and follows the Law of Evolution of Computer Viruses:
The law of evolution of computer viruses
For malware targeting a particular operating system or platform to emerge, three conditions must be met:
1. The platform must be popular
2. There should be well-documented development tools
3. The presence of vulnerabilities or coding errors
The widespread adoption of 3G (and soon 4G) and Wi-Fi connectivity and huge hard drives are other factors contributing to the rise in mobile malware infection. In fact, malware activity in 2010 was up 46 percent from 2009.
The good news is that virtually all mobile malware threats require some kind of user effort. Malware cannot magically appear on your phone. It usually happens after a user downloads a malicious app, and the recent DroidDream incident reveals that mobile malware is more advanced than ever.
How to stop mobile malware and protect yourself
Keeping a close eye on app stores is a must, as Google demonstrated. Google banned around 50 free apps from its app store immediately after the titles were found to hide a Trojan horse designed to steal information from users. The apps, which included pirated versions and copies of legitimate Android titles, were downloaded tens of thousands of times before Google took corrective action.
The best way to protect your mobile device (and yourself) is to take a layered approach to mobile security. Before you download that shiny new app, check out its permissions. An app shouldn’t be given more permissions than it needs. For example, a simple notepad app shouldn’t need unlimited internet access. Also, do not download apps from unauthorized or illegitimate app stores.
The second layer should be a very good antivirus app on your phone and the third layer should be a firewall. If you choose wisely, the second and third layers of security can be found wrapped up in a mobile security app.
How to choose an effective mobile security app
A typical mobile security solution will have capabilities that help run the program and protect the device efficiently. A very good mobile security app will include things like antivirus, antispam, and firewall protection with real-time security. An exceptional mobile security app will have all of the above, plus sms protection, remote wipe (in case your smartphone is stolen), and GPS location (again, in case your smartphone is stolen).
What is the best mobile security app??
Ask ten experts and you will get ten different answers. This question is almost as hotly debated as “what is the best antivirus software for my computer?” To narrow down my options, I used the criteria above to create a list of mobile security apps. As you can see, many of the desktop antivirus software giants have developed mobile versions of their software. The list is not complete, but it will give you a good starting point.
AVERAGE
AVG Mobile Security is available specifically for Android. It comes with SMS anti-virus and anti-spam features that provide protection to your mobile device against all unwanted messages and advertisements. Price: $9.99
ESET
ESET Mobile Security brings a new level of protection to Symbian and Windows Mobile smartphones, so you can be confident that your device is safe, even if you lose it. Price: Free for thirty days.
Dr Web
Dr Web Mobile Security Suite is an antivirus security solution for Android, Symbian OS and Windows Mobile. However, they are not sold separately and are included with Dr. Web workstation products.
Be aware
Lookout mobile security is also a cross-platform mobile software that has easy to use, simple and deep virus scanning capabilities. Lookout Mobile Security is currently available on Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile.
Price: Free, with a Premium version at $29.99/year.
F-safe
F-Secure Mobile Security enables smartphone users to experience the full potential of their devices without fear of mobile threats. F-Secure Mobile Security automatically retrieves the latest updates every time any data connection is used. An additional F-Secure proprietary SMS update mechanism ensures critical malware fingerprints are received even when a data connection is not available.
Price: Subscriptions start at $3.31/month (approximately).
kaspersky
Kaspersky Mobile Security is currently available on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, 6.0, 6.1, 6.5 and Symbian OS (for Nokia smartphones only).
Price: $29.95/unit/year.
bull guard
BullGuard Mobile Security is one of the best mobile security apps. It is one of the few that supports all major mobile operating systems like Android, Blackberry, Symbian and Windows Mobile.
Price: $29.99/license/year
Mobile malware is a scary thought, and the problem is likely to get worse, especially as smartphone adoption is skyrocketing. With the tips and advice in this article, you can protect yourself (and your personal information) against the rising tide of mobile malware.