Smart phone hacks on the rise
/ Courtesy: NBC News
An increasing number of people are going mobile, but malware attacks on those devices are on the rise as well.
They're in every hand and every pocket. Smart phones, tablets and other small computer devices. Now, the new iPad is all the buzz, the latest and greatest in mobile technology.
But these smart devices may be getting a little too smart, holding all our precious data inside like photos, documents, financial information, location and other private information.
A new Juniper mobile threats research report shows malware attacks on phones and tablets have more than doubled in the last year. Most of those attacks came in the form of spyware, designed to capture your information and send it on to someone else.
Apple's iPhone is touted as being one of the most secure devices out there, but mobile security expert Liran Ma says not so fast. "So far, for Apple based iPhones, we haven't seen real attacks yet, but I think it's just a matter of time," said Liran Ma, a computer science professor.
And those new iPads can get hacked too. The bottom line, phones, tablets and other devices are just smaller computers,a lot like the ones sitting on our desks. Ma's advice: Don't do any private business on a public Wi-Fi network and be careful about those apps. "When apps try to ask you 'do you allow them to use your information', you may think twice before, oh yeah, I want to use it," Ma said.
Hackers have become so high-tech that now they can even use the sensors inside the iPad to determine where you've touched and steal your passwords that way. But hackers use low-tech tools as well. Just the smudges from the iPad screen can give away your password.
This is today's Facebook Story of the Day. To help pick the story, click here.
Information courtesy of NBC News.
