Am Mobile

As wireless phone and PDA networks become more numerous and more complex, it has become more difficult to secure them against electronic attacks in the form of viruses or other malicious software.
Internet-enabled smart phones have gaping security weaknesses. Any smart phone — including Blackberry, Windows Mobile, iPhone and Symbian phones — can be hacked by a geek with a little bit cunningness. Even Bluetooth makes your phone a potential target.

How a hacker does his play:
1> The Hacker sends a SMS/MMS/Bluetooth message to the target smart phone.
2> The smart phone owner clicks on the message which installs the spyware on the cell phone.
3> The Hacker gains control of the cell phone.
4> Hacker can listen to the calls, can spy the SMS's sent, can change the SMSes sent from the cell phone.
5> Spyware transmits the phone activity, contact list, files, call logs, SMSes through GPRS to the hacker.
The moment you click on it the spyware/virus gets activated. It starts working quietly and the user has no clue.

So, what can we do to keep our cell phone secure?
Adopt a multi-layered security approach. Protect mobile devices with:
1> Antivirus, firewall, anti-SMS spam, and data encryption technologies. Kaspersky mobile antivirus is considered as one of the best mobile anitvirus available.
2> Install regular security updates to protect phones from viruses and other malware.
3> Last and not the least, don’t click blindly on any SMS, for someone may just be spying on you on the sly.
4> Receive bluetooth messages only from the known sources. You can even receive a virus/spyware from your friend. A virus infected cell phone can send and replicate virus to other bluetooth enabled cell phones.
5> Keep your bluetooth OFF. If you don't want to keep your Bluetooth off, make sure you can't be discovered. You can do this in the Bluetooth settings by changing 'My Phone's Visibility' to Hidden.
6> Don't accept files with .sis extensions from strangers.

The bottom line is nothing can be installed onto your Smartphone without your permission. Be extra cautious while installing applications from unknown sources.