Smartphone Security: How to Keep Your Handset Safe-gctid43964

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Smartphone Security: How to Keep Your Handset Safe

Smartphone Security: How to Keep Your Handset Safe | PCWorld Business Center

By Brent Rose, PCWorld                                                    
                                                                                           Complete Coverage                  
                                                    Once upon a time, a phone was just a  phone: It simply made and received calls. The only security you worried  about was if someone had picked up in the other room to listen in.

Flash forward to 2011, and the line between phones and computers  has all but vanished. In fact, your smartphone is likely more powerful  and feature-rich than your desktop computer was just ten years ago.

With that increased utility, though, comes more vulnerability. Having a wealth of information--personal and otherwise--in your device makes your phone a target,  and as the bad guys ramp up their efforts to infiltrate it, the good  guys are gearing up their efforts to keep the bad guys out.

                       Does Smartphone Security Really Matter?

         The short answer is yes, absolutely, more and more. The degree to  which it matters, however, depends on the individual user, or the  individual company.
                       

Threats to your mobile security  are not always easy to see. They range from the simple (such as when  someone finds your phone and reads all of your e-mail) to the highly  complex (such as Trojan horses, viruses, or third-party apps that share  your personal information).

                       Here are some common security risks, with tips, tricks, and tools to combat them.

                       Don't Lose Your Phone

         This may seem like a no-brainer, but don't put your phone down on a bar  (especially if you work for Apple and have a prototype that no one is  supposed to see). If you're in a public area, don't put it in a pocket  or an open bag where it's visible and could be grabbed easily. Obvious  suggestions, sure, but these kinds of on-the-street situations account  for most cases of phone theft.

                       Your First Line of Defense

         Set your phone to lock, or time out, after a certain period of  inactivity, requiring a password to get back in. All of the major  smartphone operating systems support this function.

                       You'll want your password to be something hard for you to forget  and easy to type since you'll enter it frequently throughout the day,  yet difficult for someone else to guess. Anything containing your name,  information found on a driver's license, or a number as simple as  "1234," for example, are not good passwords.

Here's how to find time-out settings on various smartphone OSs:
                       
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• Android: Previously, Android supported only  pattern unlock (in which you draw a pattern to access the phone), but  with version 2.2 of the OS, it now supports PINs and passwords. From the  home screen, press Menu, Settings, Location & Security,  and under Screen Unlock you'll find many options for setting passwords.  To set the screen time-out, however, you must go back to the Settings menu and this time click Display.  (Hint: If you decide to go with the pattern unlock, create a complex  one that crosses over itself, or someone might deduce your pattern from  the repeated smudge marks on your screen).
  
• BlackBerry: From the home screen click Options, Security Options, General Settings. There you'll see options to enable the password, set or change the password, and set the security time-out options.
  
• iOS: Earlier versions of iOS allow only for a  four-digit PIN unlock code (which isn't ideal). Luckily iOS 4 introduced  the option to set a longer password. Open the Settings app, and then select General, Passcode Lock. Just above Passcode Lock is the Auto-Lock option, which controls the time-out.
  
• Windows Phone 7: Open Settings, and then select Lock and Wallpaper. From there you can set or change the password, and also set the screen time-out.
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         Your Second Line of Defense

         Graphic: Chip TaylorRemote  wipe, plus the aforementioned password protection, is the bare minimum  that most IT departments will require, although the specific steps  you'll need to take very much depend on the level of security at your  company.

                       Remote wipe means that if your phone is lost or stolen, you can  remotely clear all of your data--including e-mail, contacts, texts, and  documents--off of the handset, thus keeping that information out of the  wrong hands.

You or your IT department can set this feature up for any of the  major OSs, as well as use Microsoft Exchange to wipe the device  (provided that you have an Exchange account). Those people without  Exchange accounts or IT departments have other, simpler options.
                       
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• Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone 7: If  your OS is among one of these, you're in luck, as you can find many  fantastic third-party applications that allow you to remotely wipe your  device. Lookout Mobile Security  is just one example that not only enables you to wipe your device via  the Web but also lets you track a lost device through GPS, back up your  data over the air, and even scan for viruses. Its basic version is free,  but to enable advanced features such as remote wipe you will have to  pay for a Premium account ($3 a month or $30 a year). You'll encounter  big players in the security-app game, too; for instance, NotifyMDM, Symantec, and Zenprise sell multiple-mobile-device management systems to companies.
  
• iOS: iPhone remote wipe is a bit trickier. If  you have iOS 4.2 or higher, you can simply download the Find My Phone  app from the App Store, and enable it in MobileMe in the Settings app.  If you lose your phone, you can log in using MobileMe  via Apple's Website to track it, display a message, or wipe it. If you  have an older version of iOS, though, you'll need a paid MobileMe  account, which costs a steep $99 a year. Plus, you'll have to enable the  function by going to Settings, choosing Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and clicking Fetch New Data then Enable Push. Afterward, return to the 'Mail, Contacts, Calendar' screen and select your MobileMe account.
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         Note that all of the apps and services mentioned in this section,  as well as other tools (such as Mobile Defense and Where's My Droid?),  can help you find your phone via GPS. These apps have drawn attention  lately, as their united snakesge has led to the arrest of several thieves and  carjackers.

Trojan Horses, Malware, and Viruses

         "As there gets to be hundreds of millions of smartphones out there,  that becomes a bigger target for attackers," says Ahmed Datoo, chief  marketing officer for Zenprise. His firm creates software that enables a  large company's IT department to scan all devices in the system at  once, remotely, to make sure no malware has snuck in.

"We have seen a rise in malware across the board for all platforms.  Lately it's been focused on the newer devices with greater adoption:  iOS, Android," he says.

And if you're thinking that kind of thing results only from  installing pirated software from sketchy Websites, be forewarned that  attacks can also occur in official app stores.

What should you do? Consumers should turn to third-party apps once  more. If you're on Android, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone 7, again  consider Lookout: It scans your phone for malware and spyware, even  examining any application you download. That said, it could still miss a  nasty SMS or MMS script, so think twice before you open an MMS item  from someone you don't know. Symantec, which makes business-level  products for virtually every mobile platform, also creates  consumer-level tools for Android and Windows Phone 7; more software like  Mobile Defense is emerging, too.

iOS doesn't really have antivirus apps available on a consumer  level, relying instead on Apple's stringent App Store policies to keep  out malware. Considering the scale and speed at which apps are submitted  and approved, though, things are bound to slip through the cracks. The  potential for human error is just too great to deny. On iOS you can use  the Trend Smart Surfing  app, which blocks access to Websites known to contain malware or  potential phishing attacks. It would be nice to see more protection for  various inboxes, though.

                       Third-Party Apps That Share Too Much

         When you install a third-party app,  you grant it certain privileges. Those privileges may include access to  your physical location, contact information (yours and that of others),  or other personal data. Most of the time an app will be fine, but how  do you know what its makers are doing with those privileges and your  information? The short answer: You don't.

                       Most phone OSs try to handle this problem with a centralized  application-store screening process, attempting to weed out any bad eggs  before they get in. Again, however, undesirable things slip through.

                       Android takes a different approach, having looser central control  but providing the end user with more information. Before you install an  application on Android, the app must ask you for specific permissions.  Don't simply ignore such messages. If you're just trying to install a  simple wallpaper, ask yourself why it needs access to your contacts and  your location. Be judicious when granting permissions.

Additionally, with all platforms, always pay close attention to app  ratings and read the comments to see what other users have said. If an  app has merely 50 downloads and a two-star rating, do a little digging  and find out why. The best protection here really is common sense.  Failing that, Lookout Premium can provide you with an overview of the  permissions you have granted.

Even major companies including Facebook and Pandora have been  sharing (read: selling) more user information than was commonly thought.  Your options are pretty much limited to avoiding these applications or  starting a letter-writing campaign.

                       Which OS Is the Most Secure?

         There is no easy answer to this question. All of the major smartphone OSs have made significant strides in the last year.

"From an enterprise control and security standpoint, BlackBerry is  still the gold standard," says Khoi Nguyen, director of product  management for mobile security at Symantec. RIM's phones also feature  advanced, devicewide encryption--including for the SD Card--that's  cleared for united snakesge at some of the highest levels of government.

Yet in the last six months Apple and Android have expanded support  for security management, and more companies appear comfortable using  them, Nguyen adds. Also, to enable further security, device  manufacturers such as HTC and Motorola have added proprietary software  on top of the various OSs their phones support.

With Windows Phone 7, Microsoft is following a similar strategy to  that of Apple and Google in that it's starting out by keeping its mobile  OS consumer-focused. The company is likely to add more  business-friendly security in days to come, however.

One of the biggest holes in Android's security that's slowing its  mass adoption in the business world is its lack of encryption,  especially on the SD Card. That's a significant risk for business users,  who save their e-mail attachments on unencrypted SD Cards.

BlackBerry phones offer the option to encrypt SD Cards, whereas iOS and Windows Phone 7  do not currently support removable storage. That said, many companies  are willing to accept phones with unencrypted SD Cards, as long as  remote wiping is set up. This arrangement will be fine for most  consumers, too. It's important to note, though, that in order to wipe a  phone remotely, it must be powered on and have a data connection. So if  someone pulls the battery out of your Droid before you wipe it, you  cannot erase your SD Card.

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