Tag Archives: iPhone

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More iPhones, More Data Threats

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As the Verizon iPhone comes to market in retail stores across the nation today, hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of mobile phone users will switch to iPhone 4 now that AT&T’s exclusive contract with Apple is a thing of the past. But this presents problems, lots of problems. The iPhone is not known for its steel cage-like security features, and numerous security breaches that have compromised iPhone user passwords and data have been documented. So with more and more iPhone users, the risk of personal data breaches increases.

With that in mind, here are a few suggestions of how to secure just about any Apple mobile device:

  • The first and most essential step is to enable a passcode. Always set “simple passcode” to off and create a longer, more secure passcode.
  • Set “erase data” to ON. This will automatically erase all data after 10 failed passcode attempts.
  • If you must store sensitive personal info such as credit card details, you should encrypt such info. You can download the Keeper Password and Data Vault app to do such a thing.
  • Several security firms offer apps that give you the ability to monitor virus threats on your iPhone in real-time, including Symantec, Cisco SIO To Go and Threatpost. All are free of charge.
  • For file encryption, there is Folder Lock or iDiscrete. Both enable users to transfer files to their iPhone from a PC or Mac and are designed to safeguard a wide variety of file types.
  • For those looking to monitor feeds from surveillance cameras (IP and CCTV cameras), there is the iCam Viewer, which allows the user to view up to eight feeds at once and is simple to operate.

If we need more convincing that mobile data threats are a real risk, McAfee just released their fourth quarter 2010 threat report, which revealed a steady growth of threats to mobile platforms.

“Our Q4 Threats Report shows that cybercriminals are keeping tabs on what’s popular, and what will have the biggest impact from the smallest effort,” said Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs. “In the past few quarters, malware trends have been very similar in different geographies, but in the last quarter we’ve seen a significant shift in various regions, showing that cybercriminals are tapped in to trends worldwide. McAfee Labs also sees the direct correlation between device popularity and cybercriminal activity, a trend we expect to surge in 2011.”

There will (hopefully) be an app for that.

iBreach

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No one is safe from the slimy tricks of today’s most conniving hackers. Not Rahm Emmanuel. Not Diane Sawyer. Not even New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

These public figures make up only a fraction of the victims in Apple’s worst security breach. This week, FBI agents arrested the two men responsible for stealing the personal information of 120,000 iPad users last summer. Federal officials charged Andrew Auernheimer and Daniel Spitler with fraud and conspiracy to access a computer without authorization, and both face up to ten years behind bars if convicted.

In June of 2010, Auernheimer and Spitler used a script called the “iPad 3G Account Slurper” to attack AT&T customer information and “slurp” up thousands of email addresses, which they attempted to leak to internet spammers. The fiasco has caused AT&T quite a few headaches. The company has already paid $73,000 to clean up the mess, not to mention the blow this incident must have inflicted on AT&T’s exclusive relationship with Apple. (Could this be a contributing factor to the budding alliance between Verizon and the iPhone?)

Stories like these sound familiar, and they gradually change with the times. First there was credit card identity theft. Now we worry about Facebook security. The cyber world is quickly evolving to become more interconnected, and unfortunately, it is increasingly difficult to enjoy the luxury of privacy. With the surging popularity of advanced technology and social media sites, we seem to be trading in our anonymity for easy access. Although avoiding new media doesn’t appear to be an option anymore, small steps like checking privacy settings and watching what material you post on public websites can provide some protection.

Be safe out there.