social

security

By: Mackenzie Hill-Strathy

Image by nouspique

As of May 1, 2011, there were 381,062 apps available in the Apple Store.

And 294,738 apps available for the Android.

That’s 675,800 apps for just two carriers.

Image by Theory

Worldwide, over

30 million apps are

downloaded every day

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Yet at the present, there is little to no anti-virus protection for mobile phones.

Creating “a very attractive criminal playground.” – Rik Ferguson, BBC

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In March 2011, 50 Android apps were found to contain a virus called DroidDream. In disguise as ordinary apps, such as one that allowed you to play the guitar on your phone, the virus collected all data on the phone and sent it to a remote server.

Collectively, these apps were downloaded over

200,000 times

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The App Genome Project is currently studying 300,000 apps. The study of the first 100,000 has already been completed. So far they have found that:1. One third of applications try to get the user’s location

2. 10% try to get at contact and address lists

3. A significant number of apps use copied and pasted code

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While it is typical for a family to have only one computer, there could be multiple smart and cell phones per family. Phones have become much more personal and thus, more widespread.

Image by seandreilinger

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Sympatico reported that last year there were over 286 million threats to computer security

So imagine how many hackers will begin to target mobile technology…

But in reality how cautious are we towards giving out personal information on our smart phones?

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78% are willing to share their gender

75% are willing to share their email address

65% are willing to share their full name

(Survey done by TRUSTe)

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Are we simply ignorant that our information is being stolen, do we just not bother to read those 50 page user agreements, or do we merely just not care?

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Surprisingly, more than half of app users say they have actually read the private policy before downloading an app

However, In TRUSTe’s study of the top 340 free

mobile apps, merely 25% had a link to the private policy.

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Maybe money is the binding constraint?

37% are willing to share personal information in exchange for free or lower priced apps

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The rise of geolocational apps only pose an increased threat to mobile security

Yet still only 35% of mobile users are willing to give out their location

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Most likely because iPhone users feel more secure. Anyone is allowed to post an app in the

Android store, leading to a natural hesistation before

downloading.

iPhone users are most likely to give out their location, with 53% vs. 38% for Android.

Image by theOOBEImage by Saad Irfan

"Over time, you get used to more…I think people are getting used to sharing more, and they are willing to accept that certain types of things that were private aren't private anymore. We also have certain expectations that have shifted because we just live our lives more online than we ever have.” – Michael Fauscette, IDC

Image by Bright Tal

But how can you tell if your information has been stolen?

Image by kk+

Image by s t a g e 8

Deteriorating battery life

Strange numbers appearing on phone bills

Increased monthly phone bills

Right now there is a huge void in the market for mobile security which needs to be filled. From big antivirus companies such as McAfee to smaller telephone manufacturers such as Nokia, everyone is in competition to be the first on the market.

20 millio

nEstimated to be spent

by 2014

Image by Stuck in Commons

IImage by nouspique

“It’ll take a little time for this to go mass market.”-John Stankey, AT&T

All images are licensed under the Creative Commons

Non-Commercial Share-Alike 3.0 agreement, and sourced

from Flickr.Image by kk+

Sources:• http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=15052

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• http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/05/19/technology/Security-looms-as-growing-mobile-problem-30155683.html

• http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/CRM-News/Daily-News/Privacy-a-Main-Concern-When-Using-Mobile-Apps--75214.aspx http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/01/number-apps-downloaded-day-reaches-30-million

• http://www.hardocp.com/image.html?image=MTMwNDg3MTk1OVhvMzJsWDRjYXVfMV8xX2wuanBn

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12633923 • http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10912376• http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/18/us-summit-msecurity-idUSTRE74H1N

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