Picking Blackberries – Why Mobile Technology Needs More Security

Data security, especially on mobile devices like cell phones and Blackberries, needs an increase in the level of seriousness given, especially with people doing shopping and business transactions online, and with the lines of technology blurring so much between devices. For instance, email doesn’t have to be sent on a computer anymore. Cell phones can be used for email and text messaging. Blackberries combine many functions of computers and cell phones, and are becoming quite common in the business world and for personal use as well.

The need for further security is exemplified in the passing of a California law. This law requires businesses to report to consumers’ breaches in their data security resulting in the loss of personal information, like names, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, debit card and credit card numbers, and California state ID card numbers. Some companies have been in the news in recent years when these security breaches occurred. Companies involved include Bank of America, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Household Bank, LexisNexis and even MasterCard and Visa through a third party company. However, it may not be that there are more security breaches these days. It may simply be that the companies are now reporting security breaches that they ignored in the past. Currently the law requires that all businesses that do business in California report all security breaches. Most companies are reporting this information to all of their customers rather than just those who live in California to err on the side of safety.

The situation is serious enough that Congress in 2005 began to look at enactment of a federal law to apply the same requirements on the entire nation. One such bill was introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein and is patterned after the California law. In addition, several states have enacted very similar laws that require businesses and government agencies to report security breaches quickly. Currently the states of Georgia, Minnesota, Montana and North Dakota have these laws and other states are considering them.

Why should security of mobile technology be of such concern? The same reason that your computer security should be of concern. Unscrupulous individuals – crooks in other words – if they get a hold of your personal information, this can make you the victim of fraud or identity theft. With cell phones crooks “clone” cell phone numbers and sell them as clean and untraceable back to the user. These people make calls on your cell phone account without even having your phone in their possession, and you get the bill. People who commit identity theft can buy cars in your name, get credit cards, or use your credit or debit card. They have been known to clean out people’s bank accounts quite quickly indeed. In addition to the loss of money, it can take months to straighten out the identity theft mess and get your personal credit rating back in the same shape it was in before the incident happened.

The public deserves protection from the dangers imposed by security breaches, whether that protection is given to them by government agencies or by businesses themselves doing the right thing. Everyone involved in collection and dissemination of confidential information needs to take extra care to be certain that such information does not get into the hands of those who would misuse it. Individuals also need to take steps to increase their own personal security. Memorizing passwords and PINs, personal identification numbers, and not writing them down is a good first step. Imagine having the PIN for your checking account in your wallet, along with your debit card and having both stolen. A thief would have immediate access to your money, but if you had the PIN memorized and not written down, the money would be safe. Also take care with important numbers like bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and your social security numbers. Crooks intent on committing fraud or identity theft love to get a hold of those numbers and many of them can do you financial harm, so keep them safe. Also, be careful of who is listening when speaking on a cell phone and giving out important numbers. That stranger could be an identity thief, so take care when you speak.

Malware is bad for your Computer

Malware means software that was made to get into and damage your computer system without your consent. Once it appears on your machine, it can be very challenging to get rid of. While it differs from program to program, malware can either be annoying or seriously damaging to all components of your system. By law, malware is a computer contaminant, making it completely illegal.

There are a number of different goals involved with malware. The earliest malware programs were written as pranks or experiments. As some programmers begin to learn their way around systems and the internet, they wrote malware just to see what they can do with it. For example, a beginning programmer might write a virus code to see how far it could spread. Others, though, have far more hostile intents for writing malware. One reason they might write code like this is to vandalize current websites. This is a lot like kids with a can of spray paint near a public wall. Another reason malware gets written is to cause a loss of data to major systems. Malware can completely erase the memory files of computer systems if written properly, and many malware authors have this intention, for one reason or another, as they write their vicious code. There have been many pieces of malware written for revenge. Employees who are about to lose their jobs can sometimes leave malware behind on the company system to do damage to their former employer’s ability to do business. Lots of malware, though is written for profit. Malware can send e-mail spam (so the original sender is disguised), cause the computer to serve as a host to illegal data, or engage in other illegal activities. Moreover, malware can be used to spy on users, display pop-ups while the user is not on the internet, and obtain user information like bank accounts or credit card numbers.

There are two major types of malware: viruses and worms. A virus is a program that infects other programs. A worm transmits itself to infect other computers. The terms, though, are often used interchangeably by those who do not understand their meanings. No matter the type of malware, in order for it to work correctly, it must be able to run without the user shutting the computer down. Being hidden also helps the program to get installed in the first place. Because of this, malware is usually disguised as a Trojan horse. This is a program that quietly runs in the background, inviting the user to run it, while spreading its malicious code. This code can do any number of things. It can start right away or it may simply install a program that won’t start for sometime. Once it does start, it can delete all of the files on the computer or it can infect the computer and try to infect other computers on the network. There are a number of ways malware is delivered, and as a Trojan horse is the most common. It usually comes with other pieces of software that a user might find interesting. This software is usually shared through a file-sharing network or downloadable off of the internet. Once the user installs the software, the spyware also gets installed.

As previously mentioned, in the last few years, the most common reason malware is infecting computers is for the profit of the malware creator. In most cases, it gets information about the computer user and shows them pop-up ads related to their needs. It can even redirect internet search engine results to the benefit of the malware creator. In addition to these things, malware can infect your e-mail address book. Once this occurs, spam will be sent to every single person in your address book. This spam will usually be an advertisement of some sort for the malware creator’s website. Once infected with malware, the creator can also profit from it by stealing important information like bank account information, credit card numbers, or contact information. It can steal the password information for your software licensing. Malware can also take control of your modem to make expensive telephone calls from the creator.

Once infected, a malware computer is very difficult to clean. It usually takes a complete system deletion to restore your computer to its normal state.