Calcuttans are going around with viruses and worms in their pockets. The malware hide in their smartphones that have become, after desktops and laptops, the latest target of hacker attacks.
Cellphone dealers and service centres vouch for the increase in complaints from users of smartphones — advanced cellphones like the Blackberrys and iPhones that offer the functionalities of a computer — about viruses crippling their gadgets.
“There are not many smartphone users but we receive a lot of complaints from them. Most smartphones have been infected with viruses,” said Ramesh Kumar Singh, the general manager (sales) of AM Mobiles, a retail partner of Nokia.
According to cellphone servicing centre owners, the biggest problem is the lack of awareness. “People have become conscious about threats to their computers but seldom take steps to protect their phones even though they use both for almost the same purposes,” said the owner of cellphone servicing shop in Chandni Chowk.
Smartphones are often used for surfing the Internet as well as making financial transactions. “More and more people are using their phones to do more than just send SMS and make calls. Exposure to the Internet makes them a prime target for cyber criminals,” said Shantanu Ghosh, the vice-president of the India Product Operations at Symantec Corporation, a leading software security company.
Being repositories of personal information, smartphones offer cyber criminals an opportunity to steal identities and collect financial data.
“Hackers once attacked for notoriety, today’s attacks tend to be more inconspicuous and profit-driven. Their motive has changed from fame to fortune. And smartphone users are easy targets,” said Ghosh.
“I have an anti-virus installed in my phone but I really haven’t paid much attention to it. I only check mail and surf the Net through my phone,” said 28-year-old Nabamita Banerjee, who uses her Nokia E63 to check emails and connect to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Malware can enter a mobile device through various sources, like emails, instant messages, bluetooth, Wi-fi and Internet downloads, explained an expert at Symantec, which is working on software that will allow mobile service providers greater control over harmful applications.
One of the common attacks attempted on mobile devices is Bluejacking, which is an attempt to install harmful software in nearby cellphones using bluetooth. Bluesnarfing is an attempt to copy contents of a cellphone using bluetooth.
“I do not open emails from unknown sources on my mobile phone. I also don’t store any sensitive information on my Blackberry, no matter how convenient it is,” said 30-year-old techie Abhishek Bandopadhyay.
The smartphone market in India, five million in 2008, is poised for an annual growth of 23 per cent. Malware designed to exploit security loopholes in smartphones are emerging just as fast.
One of them, Snoopware, allows hackers to secretly activate the microphone and camera on a smartphone to eavesdrop on conversations.
“Threats to smartphones are in their early stages but such attacks will continue to increase as use of smartphones increases,” warned Ghosh.
Source:http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100409/jsp/calcutta/story_12320508.jsp
