Monday, April 20, 2009

Data Security Risk - Mobile Phones are Easy to Hack

Celphones and PDA's are now easily hacked by those in the know. In only a few minutes an experienced hacker can install spyware on your mobile phone and have the capability to listen to your telephone conversations live as well as recieve copies of your text messages as you send or recieve them. Datashield accesses Mobile phones with Windows Mobile or Blackberry Operating Systems to support our clients, if we can access a Mobile phone then so can other people. I think that this area of security really needs a good look and with all the recent publicity I'm sure we'll see some smaller developers entering the Mobile security market with early apps and the big guns to follow once the market takes shape. It's a good thing.


What does that mean to mobile workers and the self employed? Datashield Technologies is a small operation and we provide a host of services and products to clients who rely on us for support. We get calls for usernames and passwords, web addresses, and credentials for stuff I get paranoid about just knowing. Providing fast service is essential for our clients productivity and even though we have our information stored in secure locations with encrypted files and half the Canadian Armed Forces guarding it (ha ha - that was for the criminals reading this) nothing is absolutely hack free. To give you an idea of just what goes on in the world of data loss and hacking visit the Open Security Foundation's Website http://opensecurityfoundation.org/ .
This is a wake up call to anyone who thinks hackers aren't for real and organized. It was for me.

To prevent unauthorized access to your mobile there are a few simple steps to follow:


1) Always keep your mobile in sight, this includes when lending it to others to make calls.


2) Never download or install software unless it is from a reputable source.

3) There is Antivirus for Mobiles available - If you have the speed, its a good idea to scan on a regular basis.

4) Familiarize yourself with the programs/apps installed on your Mobile phone.

If you aren't sure about something contact us at http://www.datashield.biz/support and we can source it for you.

We are researching this area and will be posting information as it becomes available.


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