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Mobile Device Security: Don't Be Naïve

I woke up this morning at my normal 4:30AM. This getting old stuff really whacks your sleep!
Turned on the news and the first two stories were on yet another set of cyber security breaches. In
fact, there is not a single day that goes by that you don’t hear about the latest cyber security breach
or credit card hack or personal data theft or even identity theft. This week, a story broke where
Sony Pictures had their Enterprise system hacked and unreleased films stolen and placed on the
internet for free downloads. Last week, the US Post Office Enterprise got hacked and more than
750k USPS employees' personal information stolen.

But, it isn’t just the Enterprise being attacked. Ask
Apple. In the past 3 weeks, 2 very nasty attacks were
directed at the Apple mobile operating system, iOS.
The first is called the "Masque Attack" which poses as
a very popular game app and users unknowingly install
it. The Masque Attack then steals your banking and
credit card transaction information. The other is named
“WireLurker”, which attacks your Apple mobile device
while charging from a USB port. It is an extremely
sophisticated program that also steals personal
information such as the device serial number, iTunes
information, and phone number and sends it to another
W ir e Lu r k e r M a l wa r e server.

It struck me that there are just some things that a lot of people just haven't quite grasped yet. The
cyber security criminals are very organized. And, there is a distinct shift in their targeting. With the
move to more and more mobile device dependency, the criminals are targeting mobile devices
more than our desktop and laptop computers. Yes, our mobile devices have become the primary
target for cyber criminals.

And the consequences are dire. Think of all the stuff you have on your mobile device. Now think
about this. Think about a company of 10 or 20 or 30 thousand criminals. They have the money, the
resources, and the expertise. They attack indiscriminately, looking for opportunities, making
opportunities, and they no longer have to break into your back door or your vault. They can attack
thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of potential victims with a keystroke. No one is
immune. No operating system is completely secure.

I'm no chicken little. But, honestly, the volume and severity of attacks has me on high alert,
especially when it comes to my mobile devices. I have a bunch of them, all Apple. You need to be
aware of the ever-present and very REAL threat. You also need to exercise common sense and
be smart about protecting yourself from these malicious criminals and their ever-increasing,
sophisticated, clever attacks meant to do harm to anyone and everyone. The bad guys don't
discriminate.

43 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – February 2015 Edition
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