Mobile Marketing, Mobile Applications and Services -

Breach of security has always been a major concern when it comes to your personal data. Malicious activity through internet as discussed in my preceding articles is a very frequent episode. But a new incident at UAE revealed the vulnerability of your next generation cell phones too  to be hacked by malicious software or even sms.

On July 8, Blackberry users in UAE received a text message from the service provider to install and upgrade a service which they were less aware contained software that could enable third parties to access their private information.

A member on the official support forums at Blackberry did some detective work, and found some suspicious code in the update and released a complete technical analysis over it that is worth noting.SMobile Systems , a mobile phone security solutions provider have also provided with solution to Etisalat Blackberry spyware.

Canadian BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. said in a statement that “independent sources have concluded that it is possible that the installed software could enable unauthorized access to private or confidential information stored on the user’s smartphone.”

At the Black Hat information security conference held last month in Las Vegas, Miller and fellow computer security researcher Collin Mulliner shocked audiences when they revealed how a series of simple text messages can allow someone to hijack Apple’s iPhone as well as several other smartphone models with neither the handset’s owner or network provider ever knowing. The virus allows outsiders to send text messages, access web sites, make phone calls as well as turn on a device’s camera and microphone, he explained.

“Mobile security threats are real, but they are rare,” Jan Volkze, head of global marketing for McAfee Mobile Security, told CNN.

Read more from CNN .

We are living in an age where our smartphones are becoming our personal computers. They are used in the same manner and are susceptible to the same threats. Smartphone users need to be hands-on and ensure their devices contain the necessary security software to protect not only their e-mail and messaging data, but also to protect their identity and the integrity of their mobile financial transactions.

The unpleasant incident may have occurred at UAE but how rapidly it flies to  other parts of the world , will not take much time either as the interlopers are always on the wheels. Barrier to mobile security threat  being more prolific may be  lack of ways to extort money from phones but I am sure the  Blackberry users who are still secure would be in agreement with me that  ‘prevention is always better than cure’.