Handheld Devices Big Security Threat

Laptops and portable data devices such as flash drives continue to be a persistent source of data breaches, but experts say that smart phones are poised to become the next major security challenge.

The issue is twofold: data can be stored on the device, but it can also be breached by the wireless capabilities of the phones. If you check your email or open sensitive information, you put that information at risk for hackers.

For Bluetooth users who have not changed the factory-passwords, there are devices that can remotely access and download all your data. The risk for virus attack of these devices is also increasing as wi-fi phones become a growing target.

According to a survey from the Computing Technology Industry Association, 60% of firms have seen an increase in the past year of security issues from handheld computing devices – smart phones, laptops, PDAs.

While hacking once was about bragging rights or cyber vandalism, security industry officials say profit now largely drives attacks, as the kind of information traveling over wireless networks grows in volume and value.

Business-oriented smart phones have some built-in safeguards, more so than consumer phones. But the line between a consumer phone and a business phone is eroding as consumer phones are outfitted with wi-fi connectivity. Phones which are then put to business use. The prospect of doing work on-the-go is increasingly attractive to many, but while mobility is convenient, it is a security issue.

Via freep Tags: mobility, security, it security, data security, handheld devices, smart phones, bluetooth, business security