Hacking Smartphones - The New Target
With Smartphones and tablets increasing in popularity more and more people are storing personal data on their devices. Hackers are desperate to get a hold of any personal data such as banking info, email, access to your secure apps, etc. Because of this the new focus of the cyber-criminal is to start creating programs to get into your device and send that information back to them. The most common way to do this is through something called malicious software or malware. Malware is a program which you either are unaware of or an app which has malicious code written into it which can then exploit your device.
Android devices are the most common target for hackers because, like Windows on PC's, they are by far the most common with a market share of almost 79%. Also, it's possible to get Android apps from somewhere other than the official Google Play store. It are these non-Google Play Store apps which are the most likely to contain malware. The app could could even be one that you know like Flappy Bird, Scrabble, or anything. Hackers can use those apps and put their own hidden code in it which then infects your phone. It is always best to only download apps directly from the official store:
Android: Google Play or Amazon AppStore
iPhone/iPad: App Store
Windows Phone: Windows Phone Store
Blackberry: Blackberry World
When an app is listed on the official store then it has gone through a vetting process to ensure the app will work on the device and that it isn't infected. Unfortunately it's still possible for an infected app to get through the process. Fortunately for Android users there is a form of malware protection and it's free! Malwarebytes has historically been great at removing malware and now they have made a version for Android devices. I highly recommend anyone with an Android device to install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Mobile. Apple users just need to to vigilante and make sure they keep their phones updated (in February a serious security hole was found in iPhones and iPads - the most recent update fixes this). Windows Phone and Blackberry users have less to be concerned about since their market share is much lower (Window Phone 3.6% and "Others" at 2%) and it's not worth a hacker's time to bother with these. Windows Phone numbers are on the increase so this may be more of a concern in the future.
Like with anything, be careful of what you are downloading and installing whether it be on your PC, smartphone or tablet.
Android devices are the most common target for hackers because, like Windows on PC's, they are by far the most common with a market share of almost 79%. Also, it's possible to get Android apps from somewhere other than the official Google Play store. It are these non-Google Play Store apps which are the most likely to contain malware. The app could could even be one that you know like Flappy Bird, Scrabble, or anything. Hackers can use those apps and put their own hidden code in it which then infects your phone. It is always best to only download apps directly from the official store:
Android: Google Play or Amazon AppStore
iPhone/iPad: App Store
Windows Phone: Windows Phone Store
Blackberry: Blackberry World
When an app is listed on the official store then it has gone through a vetting process to ensure the app will work on the device and that it isn't infected. Unfortunately it's still possible for an infected app to get through the process. Fortunately for Android users there is a form of malware protection and it's free! Malwarebytes has historically been great at removing malware and now they have made a version for Android devices. I highly recommend anyone with an Android device to install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Mobile. Apple users just need to to vigilante and make sure they keep their phones updated (in February a serious security hole was found in iPhones and iPads - the most recent update fixes this). Windows Phone and Blackberry users have less to be concerned about since their market share is much lower (Window Phone 3.6% and "Others" at 2%) and it's not worth a hacker's time to bother with these. Windows Phone numbers are on the increase so this may be more of a concern in the future.
Like with anything, be careful of what you are downloading and installing whether it be on your PC, smartphone or tablet.