As the numbers have grown, so has the quality of the malware. Whilst we are yet to see a significant mobile attack, the capabilities are there for cyber criminals to use. In time, these capabilities will only grow in prevalence and sophistication.
"The software attacks will only get worse and the ability to steal the information is already available and in circulation," said James.
As many as 80 per cent of security vulnerabilities are found in browser and related software.
Tom Parsons, senior manager at Symantec Security Response, has already seen a variety of malicious Android software which could hand some truly valuable data to attackers.
"For instance, 27 of the 40 Android malware families we have seen to date have information-stealing capabilities. This includes data such as IMEI etc, and so could be considered less valuable data," Parsons told IT Pro.
"However, a smaller number (15 per cent) have the ability to track the devices and presumably the device owners' location using GPS. Five per cent can actually record your phone calls for an attacker to listen to later on."
Right now, the majority of threats are backdoors, spy programs and premium rate texters. Yet there are other attack vectors hackers will aim their crosshairs at. The browser is one.
"As many as 80 per cent of security vulnerabilities are found in browser and related software, and as smartphones and similar mobile devices basically run browsers, it's only a matter of time for someone to find the right combination of target, vulnerability and exploit," said Philippe Courtot, CEO and chairman of Qualys.
Users don't get it yet
One of the biggest dangers for businesses is the severe lack of understanding amongst end users. Unlike IT departments who are chomping away at their nails in fear of business data going missing, many employees simply do not recognise the value of security on smartphones or tablets.
"What worries me most is that the majority of users still see a smartphone as a phone, not a mini computer. As such, they often don't apply the same logic and security savvyness that they do with their PCs, where lessons have already been learned," said Greg Day, EMEA security CTO and director of security strategy at Symantec.
"An example of this would be DroidDream, which prompts the user that the compromised app needs much higher than expected permissions to the device. In my experience, users are far more willing to say yes' on their smartphone as they see it as a phone and not a computer."
-
Asus ZenScreen Fold OLED MQ17QH reviewReviews A stunning foldable 17.3in OLED display – but it's too expensive to be anything more than a thrilling tech demo
-
How the UK MoJ achieved secure networks for prisons and offices with Palo Alto NetworksCase study Adopting zero trust is a necessity when your own users are trying to launch cyber attacks
-
Capita tells pension provider to 'assume' nearly 500,000 customers' data stolenCapita told the pension provider to “work on the assumption” that data had been stolen
-
Gumtree site code made personal data of users and sellers publicly accessibleNews Anyone could scan the website's HTML code to reveal personal information belonging to users of the popular second-hand classified adverts website
-
Pizza chain exposed 100,000 employees' Social Security numbersNews Former and current staff at California Pizza Kitchen potentially burned by hackers
-
83% of critical infrastructure companies have experienced breaches in the last three yearsNews Survey finds security practices are weak if not non-existent in critical firms
-
Identity Automation launches credential breach monitoring serviceNews New monitoring solution adds to the firm’s flagship RapidIdentity platform
-
Neiman Marcus data breach hits 4.6 million customersNews The breach took place last year, but details have only now come to light
-
Indiana notifies 750,000 after COVID-19 tracing data accessedNews The state is following up to ensure no information was transferred to bad actors
-
Pearson fined $1 million for downplaying severity of 2018 breachNews The SEC found the London-based firm made “misleading statements and omissions” about the intrusion
