There was a time, long ago, when dumb-phones ruled the earth. These Behemoths roamed the earth in search of signal. Now the old phones were not capable of much, so they were not targets of viruses and trojans as much as computers were. Over time, they became more and more powerful until finally, a new breed of phone evolved, the smart-phone. Nowadays, people’s mobile devices are susceptible to viruses. Viruses, worms, Trojans and malware are becoming a hot topic for the mobile community. We now use our phones for not just communication, but banking, storing personal information, photography, and shopping, we are putting more information at risk then ever before.
iPhones seem to be the luckiest, as the restrictions on what programs can run on their custom operating system make it difficult for programmers to make a solid virus that can reproduce and spread. So far, no iPhone-based viruses have been found “in the wild (virus speak for found in the general population), but have been created in programming labs all over the world. It is just a matter of time before someone creates one that manages to spread.
Android-based phones on the other hand have become the recent target of a series of attacks, as Android’s more open approach to people making software for the phones means that security is a bit more lax. Between fake battery upgrade applications which can steal your information (Bogus “Battery upgrade” Apps), to viruses like “Counterclank”, a virus found on seemingly legitimate apps available on the Android market (Symantec report on Counterclank).
A common risk that both platforms share is viruses that are targeted not towards your phone, but towards the computers they are connected to. Since many people connect their phones up to their Mac or PC during the day to transfer information and charge up the battery, this provides an avenue for viruses to infect computers that normally would not be at risk. This risk enforces the usual advice to make sure that your computer is running a good AND up-to-date anti-virus program.
The moral of this story is as our phones get more powerful, and more popular, there will be more viruses and attacks targeting our devices. Now that phones have brought more digital possibilities into our lives.
Check out some of our recommended anti virus software for PC's in our guide below!
