Article: Top 7 Mobile Security Threats: Smart Phones, Tablet, & Mobile Internet Devices - What the Future has in Store
By: Kaspersky Lab
Date Published: Can not find
On an article on Kaspersky Lab's official website, the company talks about how mobile devices are attacked and how they affect us. The site states that "Kaspersky Lab detected almost 3.5 million pieces of malware on more than 1 million user devices" in 2014. Along with this, IT Web has reported that over 230,000 new malware programs are detected each day and most of these are targeting mobile devices. Kaspersky Lab states that often on mobile devices, users are unintentionally allowing data leakage to occur by "sweeping permissions" for apps and are not always checking the safety of allowing this access. The next issue with mobile devices and their security comes from Unsecured Wi-Fi. They state that when users go out and about and find free Wi-Fi spots, not all of the networks are secured. By using a network that is unsecured, this allows individuals to be easily hacked and they suggest to use these spots sparingly and "never to use it to access confidential or personal services, like banking or credit card information." Along with the subject of unsecured free Wi-Fi, some hackers will set up fake access points, "connections that look like Wi-Fi networks but are actually traps," and in some cases, attackers will have users create a free account to try to use the hot spot. When this happens, most of the time, individuals will use "the same email and password[s] for multiple services" which allows the hackers to get into other accounts and steal precious information. Along with the issues behind apps and Wi-Fi, the actual attacks carried out by hackers are usually the same. Often times, individuals will try to use phishing attacks to get information from users. Kaspersky Lab states that mobile users are often more vulnerable to email phishing attempts due to the fact that on a desktop, users "are often warned off by news sites or security bulletins before" they open the email.
So, what does Kaspersky Lab feel the future has in store for us? In the article, they report that "according to CXO Today, ... the nature of mobile security threats isn't undergoing a significant change" but instead believe that the consequences from malware on a mobile device is greatly increasing. To keep our devices safe, it is best to use trusted Wi-Fi spots and when using free Wi-Fi, to never use it to access personal information. Along with this, it is best to stay vigilant when installing applications and what they ask for permission to access, as well as any links that may be messaged or emailed to individuals.
After reading the article for my last blog post, this one did hold too many surprises for me. This article went into more detail on gaining access to a mobile device through Wi-Fi or hot spots than the last article, giving me more knowledge on the topic. Hopefully as we continue to see a rise in the amount of malware attacking mobile devices, we continue to see a rise in the ability to protect against the threat, as well as laws and regulations to help keep standards for companies offering free Wi-Fi. The thing I believe the general public needs to know is to be wary of free Wi-Fi. If a user isn't sure if the network is secure, it is best to assume it is not and refrain from accessing any personal information. The best way for the general public to get educated on this topic to by going to google and looking for articles relating to this. Since this topic is generally not put in the major news, it is the user’s responsibility to go and find this information on their own.
Article:
https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/top-seven-mobile-security-threats-smart-phones-tablets-and-mobile-internet-devices-what-the-future-has-in-store
Image:
http://www.sailhostel.com/service/free-wi-fi/
By: Kaspersky Lab
Date Published: Can not find
On an article on Kaspersky Lab's official website, the company talks about how mobile devices are attacked and how they affect us. The site states that "Kaspersky Lab detected almost 3.5 million pieces of malware on more than 1 million user devices" in 2014. Along with this, IT Web has reported that over 230,000 new malware programs are detected each day and most of these are targeting mobile devices. Kaspersky Lab states that often on mobile devices, users are unintentionally allowing data leakage to occur by "sweeping permissions" for apps and are not always checking the safety of allowing this access. The next issue with mobile devices and their security comes from Unsecured Wi-Fi. They state that when users go out and about and find free Wi-Fi spots, not all of the networks are secured. By using a network that is unsecured, this allows individuals to be easily hacked and they suggest to use these spots sparingly and "never to use it to access confidential or personal services, like banking or credit card information." Along with the subject of unsecured free Wi-Fi, some hackers will set up fake access points, "connections that look like Wi-Fi networks but are actually traps," and in some cases, attackers will have users create a free account to try to use the hot spot. When this happens, most of the time, individuals will use "the same email and password[s] for multiple services" which allows the hackers to get into other accounts and steal precious information. Along with the issues behind apps and Wi-Fi, the actual attacks carried out by hackers are usually the same. Often times, individuals will try to use phishing attacks to get information from users. Kaspersky Lab states that mobile users are often more vulnerable to email phishing attempts due to the fact that on a desktop, users "are often warned off by news sites or security bulletins before" they open the email.
So, what does Kaspersky Lab feel the future has in store for us? In the article, they report that "according to CXO Today, ... the nature of mobile security threats isn't undergoing a significant change" but instead believe that the consequences from malware on a mobile device is greatly increasing. To keep our devices safe, it is best to use trusted Wi-Fi spots and when using free Wi-Fi, to never use it to access personal information. Along with this, it is best to stay vigilant when installing applications and what they ask for permission to access, as well as any links that may be messaged or emailed to individuals.
After reading the article for my last blog post, this one did hold too many surprises for me. This article went into more detail on gaining access to a mobile device through Wi-Fi or hot spots than the last article, giving me more knowledge on the topic. Hopefully as we continue to see a rise in the amount of malware attacking mobile devices, we continue to see a rise in the ability to protect against the threat, as well as laws and regulations to help keep standards for companies offering free Wi-Fi. The thing I believe the general public needs to know is to be wary of free Wi-Fi. If a user isn't sure if the network is secure, it is best to assume it is not and refrain from accessing any personal information. The best way for the general public to get educated on this topic to by going to google and looking for articles relating to this. Since this topic is generally not put in the major news, it is the user’s responsibility to go and find this information on their own.
Article:
https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/top-seven-mobile-security-threats-smart-phones-tablets-and-mobile-internet-devices-what-the-future-has-in-store
Image:
http://www.sailhostel.com/service/free-wi-fi/
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