from Men's Health
by Kasey Panetta August 22, 2011
If this gets in the wrong hands, you're screwed.
Your smartphone may not be as secure as you might think. More then 8
out of 10 mobile smart phone apps recently failed to pass the security
test of a watchdog company.
ViaForensic researchers downloaded the apps from iTunes and the
Android Market in four categories: finance, productivity, social
networking, and retail. After installing the apps using traceable data,
the technicians tested to see what data was protected or encrypted.
The digital security company found only 17 percent of the 100 apps
received a passing grade. Nearly 40 percent outright failed for storing
passwords, user names, or other information that could easily lead to
financial or identity theft.
And here’s the kicker: They didn’t even try that hard to find flaws.
““We only conducted three tests, about 10 percent of a full security
audit. If we were to perform a full audit, the numbers would be worse,”
says co-founder Andrew Hoog, Chief Investigative Officer. “It’s very
possible to build secure mobile apps, it just takes a more attention to
detail then we’re seeing now.”
To see which apps passed, visit viaforensics.com/appwatchdog/.
Hoog also recommends not connecting to open wireless networks, putting a
passcode on your phone that locks after a few failed login attempts,
and using a browser like Opera that’s less prone to being targeted
because it’s not used by many people.
Of course, according to a recent Pew survey, some of you use your
phones to avoid other people, not just for apps.
Here’s a look at some
of their findings:
No comments:
Post a Comment