Smartphone: the next big security headache (PC World)

2011 is the year that mobile security is mainstream. Here at the 2011 RSA Conference in San Francisco many of security software companies I've spoken to have issued--or are planning to release an app mobile security of some kind.

And while the Smartphone is not yet an important goal in the United States, malware, there are reasons to be concerned about the future of mobile security.

One of Android is its openness. Just about anyone can write one application and deploy it without having to go through a review process long sometimes. But as is the case on the PC, this sort of openness makes it possible for malware writers to infiltrate smartphone. Security companies seem to think that Android is the next big target for malware, thanks to this opening and the fact that it runs on so many devices.

Some of the vendors I spoke also seemed concerned that the paranoia that users often make when it comes to downloading and installing the software on a PC may not carry forward to when they use a smartphone, even if there are threats.

Mobile Malware is already a problem in parts of the world. This past week, company of mobile security software that mobile Lookout found a Trojan that circulates through repackaged versions of Android apps and app deployed on alternative markets in China.

Raimund genes, Chief Technology Officer, Trend Micro, notes that malware authors are creating their own mobile shopping app to distribute malware in China. He predicts that in the United States see additional tests-concept malware mobile this year, and that it can become a serious problem in 2012.

Smartphone carrying additional information that we cannot keep on your PC, such as phone numbers of your contacts, photos, you've taken with your smartphone and so on. And unlike a PC, a smartphone that can be easily lost: you probably take your laptop with you if you get up and leave the Starbucks you're browsing the Web, but it is much easier to leave behind a smartphone.

In fact, Patrick Kennedy, Senior Director of Product Marketing with Webroot, sees this as the greatest threat to Smartphone now. And not surprising, many security smartphone applications that we have seen so far put great emphasis on the protection of your personal information if your smartphone gets lost or stolen.

Smartphone malware is in its infancy and is difficult to say what will happen next, but all signs point toward some serious problems in the not too distant future. In the meantime, keep the guard, remain vigilant and think before you install the next app.