The smartphone is fast becoming one of the devices that people most commonly use for both work and entertainment. People use their smartphones to communicate with their business colleagues and clients, to go online to do research for their companies or to buy new equipment and supplies from them, and for a variety of other purposes. They also like to communicate with friends, track them on Facebook and Twitter, listen to music via YouTube, and to play games. For both these purposes, a wide variety of apps are available online, many of them for free download.
Unfortunately, in the process of getting these exciting apps, many smartphone users fail to realize that, as devices equipped with online connection, their phones can be the targets of viruses, spyware, worms, Trojan horses, and other forms of malicious software. Worse still, such badthreats can be contained in the apps that people download. There is one form of malware, for instance, that can hijack the smartphone and enable the person who sent it to route their calls through it and run up huge bills that the owner is forced to pay; the money cannot be recovered.
But as with any problem, smartphone threats are not without their solutions. There are a multitude of businesses out there that make their livelihood designing and marketing products that can protect smartphones against dangers that come from all directions. Here are some of the new security developments for mobile smartphones.
Which lines of phones are the most vulnerable? The importance of updating your phone
All phones are susceptible to malicious software of some sort, but some more so than others. The most commonly targeted phone system, according to PC magazine, is Android, and among the phones that use it, HTC, Motorola and Samsung are in the gravest danger. Updating ones phone is also important, because that way it can be equipped with the latest security threats. Google, for instance, can be used to patch up the vulnerabilities that were found in an older version of the same phone and release “incremental updates” that render it immune to future attack by the same malware.
NQ Mobile—one of the biggest names in the field
NQ Mobile has been pioneering in the area of mobile phone security for at least five years, during which time they have won ten awards and recognitions. They have millions of subscribers around the world, and the number continues to increase each year. Through the company’s “Cloud + Client” technology, these subscribers can all share their horror stories of phone security breaches as well as their expertise in the subject, thus providing NQ Mobile will the information they need to produce new safety technology. At least seven of their customers on Amazon have nothing but good things to say about their products; features they have praised include not only the speed and efficiency with which their phones have been scanned for threats coming from the apps on them but also a variety of other services, such as turning off apps not in use to conserve battery life and alerting the owner if the phone is being stolen and tampered with. PC Advisor magazine, too, has given the company a five- star rating.
Some safety measures that smartphone owners can take
Despite all the wonderful protection forms that professionals are devising, it is ultimately up to the owner of a smartphone to make sure that he does not become the victim of an online attack. One way is to make sure that the company from which he gets his apps is a reputable one; Amazon, Android and Verizon are all perfectly safe places to get them. Reviews should be read thoroughly to see what other buyers have experienced with them. And buying security software, updating it regularly, is also essential.
We have reached the point where security protection for smartphones and tablets is no longer an option. It always pays to keep one’s smartphone safe from online threats, for it is a precious instrument, after all, and as the old adages go, “Better safe than sorry” and “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Author Bio:
Kent Brown is an avid tech blogger and writes for various large companies such as NQ Mobile.
image via: cloudcentrics.com