The Dangerous and Sudden Growth of Smart Phone Menaces
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There isn’t any computer user from this generation that hasn’t heard of the dangerous menace caused by viruses, trojans, worms, and malware. But little is known about the security threats for mobile devices, such as smart-phones and Symbian-based cell phones. This is simply because they haven’t caused stupendous hazards until now. Most went unnoticed, causing no hype or panic. Will this change?
Four years ago, back in 2004, when the world's first mobile phone virus was created for Symbian platforms, it was considered a huge milestone in the history of viruses. As a matter of fact, it was the worm called Caribe, which did no harm at all but proved the concept that viruses are possible on cell phones too. Since then, as with anything in life, many have attempted to use them for sinister and malicious purposes.
(Image Courtesy of "IntoMobile")
In this article, we're going to tackle the possible sudden growth of smart-phone menacing. Most importantly, we should not forget about Apple's over-hyped iPhone, which was wisely marketed and, consequently, has started to gain enormous popularity lately. And the upcoming, state-of-art gPhone (based on Google's Android), which pushes these cells into the open source world, is coming soon.
Generally, the popular trend of viruses and other security threats (or at least attempts to do so) can be linked with the growth of the consumer/user base. As soon as a device, gadget, or smart phone gains enough coverage, then it automatically becomes a potential target for virus writers. What can we do about it?
Furthermore, what do you think about Google's Android open source system - how is going to affect the amount of malware being developed? Our aim is to try and find possible answers to these questions. Admittedly, all we can do is use history as a source for our arguments and then try to foresee the future of mobile viruses. We can also point out research papers done by professional organizations, such as Sophos.
We can guarantee an informative and educational ride into the world of viruses that are designed for devices that usually fit into our pockets. We carry them with us, so necessary measures must be taken early before it's too late.
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