Filed under: Cell Phones , BlackBerry , iPhone , Summer Fun There's a downside coming for users of do-it-all mobile phones, according to tech security analyst firm IDC. Though increasingly popular and mainstream, multi-function iPhones , Palm Treos and Blackberrys are expected to become ever more ripe targets for hackers, scammers and virus coders, who until now have seen personal computers and networks as the most enticing targets. Considering how much personal and sensitive information (addresses, e-mails, documents, passwords, pictures) people keep on their smartphones , this growing threat is a major concern. The change is coming with the open access environment of applications that are being written for these smartphones, say experts from the top security labs. While it's a boon for the folks who write programs, and the consumers who plan to use them, the open access also means it'll be easier for hackers to make malicious software available. (Programs for smartphones can be written by pretty much anyone.) Trend Micro and Symantec , as well as other security firms, are already seeing a growing business supplying protection to businesses and individuals who use smartphones. IDC says businesses and consumers will spend $958 million by 2011, up from $214 million in 2006, on security. For an individual user, $30 buys a year's worth of protection. These firms consider smartphones the most vulnerable link the complex chain of comm ...
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Filed under: Cell Phones , BlackBerry , iPhone , Summer Fun There's a downside coming for users of do-it-all mobile phones, according to tech security analyst firm IDC. Though increasingly popular and mainstream, multi-function iPhones , Palm Treos and Blackberrys are expected to become ever more ripe targets for hackers, scammers and virus coders, who until now have seen personal computers and networks as the most enticing targets. Considering how much personal and sensitive information (addresses, e-mails, documents, passwords, pictures) people keep on their smartphones , this growing threat is a major concern. The change is coming with the open access environment of applications that are being written for these smartphones, say experts from the top security labs. While it's a boon for the folks who write programs, and the consumers who plan to use them, the open access also means it'll be easier for hackers to make malicious software available. (Programs for smartphones can be written by pretty much anyone.) Trend Micro and Symantec , as well as other security firms, are already seeing a growing business supplying protection to businesses and individuals who use smartphones. IDC says businesses and consumers will spend $958 million by 2011, up from $214 million in 2006, on security. For an individual user, $30 buys a year's worth of protection. These firms consider smartphones the most vulnerable link the complex chain of comm ...