Security expert reveals smartphone security is a real danger

Monday, November 07, 2011

In a recent interview with ZDNet, security expert Chris Stier offered insight regarding the current mobile device landscape .

Stier said that the security threats are present and have evolved in the past six years, especially with the introduction of smartphones and mobile applications.

"And that brings me to my next point: applications are so popular now," Stier told ZDNet. "It's one of the key ways to get into the phone. It's easy for attackers to take down an app from the Android Market, compromise it, and put it back up as a free download."

Stier added that what makes the Android platform so vulnerable to security threats is its open nature in which anyone can develop a mobile application. The greatest challenge the industry is faced with is to make consumers aware how real these dangers are.

As more people adopt smartphones, tablets and other devices, the range of threats targeting these products are expected to increase in the near future. According to a recent study conducted by ABI Research, the global mobile security industry is projected to reach $11 billion by 2016.