Information Madness

Mobile phones that have been considered as safe not so long ago are now facing rising threats. It is the same for computer security nowadays. Computers and smartphones have become a key target for hackers and a source of increasing worry for the IT departments of big corporate companies. The first mobile virus dates back to June 2004.

Since 2004, risks from hackers have remained limited because of the relatively small size of the market. But this has changed recently because of a surge in the smartphone segment of the market. The smartphone segment has outgrown the personal computers market and there is a dominance of Google’s Android software.

A growing trend of mobile payments where shoppers are simply swiping their phones at a cash register is tempting a lot of hackers and data thieves. Mobile security has become a major concern as smartphone transactions nowadays are of much higher value including the corporate data access, managing personal finances and online purchases.

Most consumers do not have a protection on their smartphones. Not even five per cent of smartphones and tablets are installed with adequate security software. Vaxa Inc., a United States research company, is expecting a rise in demand with the total annual market for mobile security software growing to almost four billion dollars in the next five years.

The risk of identity theft and personal financial loss is increasing with more and more smartphone devices being hijacked without the owner’s knowledge. Companies in the technology and media sector expect the data stored on smartphone devices to be their biggest security headache from now on.