Hackers targeting cell phones
Updated On: May 16 2013 09:03:34 AM CDT
Computer hackers will do anything to get valuable information from you.
It used to just be your computer but now it includes trying to hack into your smart phone.
A new study shows people are three times more likely to respond to a phishing email on a phone than on their computer.
As more and more people spend more and more time on their smart phone, more and more hackers are using that phone to get your information.
"Mobile is a new technology," said Anthony Durante, a managing partner, at Lehigh Valley Tech. "Security on mobile devices is still kind of being developed so I can definitely see why it's more in that prevalent in that space."
Research done by a Boston company sent out 100,000 phishing emails.
Truster, Inc. found that 2,200 of the 3,000 people who clicked on the link, did it from a smart phone.
"It's very easy for a developer to send an email or to have a pop up to come up in an application like a mobile website," said Mark Koberlein, a mobile developer. "So I think it's something everybody should be concerned about."
"I think there is an opportunity in a weird way for spammers to take advantage of the smart phones because people have their guard down more and that's part of the issue," added Jeff Teschke, founder for FORGE3.
There's no anti-virus software for phones like on a computer, even though developers are working on it.
Experts say the best thing to do is password protect everything, close applications not in use, and use common sense.
"If it doesn't look right, if it just doesn't seem quite right you really shouldn't click the link. and if you do accidentally tap the link and you get to some website, stop there," said Teschke.
Developers also say if you are unsure of a website link on your phone, go directly to the company site on your computer and see if the same information is there.
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