Cybercriminals to crack smartphones

Mobile phone users will come under increasingly advanced attacks as cybercriminals find ways to exploit the platform, according to security firm AVG.

Smartphone users won’t see mass software attacks from traditional PC malware such as viruses and worms.

Instead, as more of us use these devices for tasks such as online banking and as social networking hubs, loggers and spyware hidden in must-have apps, and able to steal personal information, are far more likely.

Although some viruses and worms have been created, these have been more as 'proof of concept' exercises. And for most people mobile malware is not on an issue.

However, Craig Heath, chief security technologist for the Symbian Foundation, said the threat is real and criminals will develop attacks and target the most popular platform; whether it is Apple's, Symbian or Google's Android, only time will tell.

Roger Thompson, AVG's chief security research officer, also warned that people didn’t yet know the worst that the future held but the attacks would be "subtle".

“Recently I was asked how viruses would migrate from PCs to mobile devices. But it won't be a straightforward process and although there will be some viruses and worms, the better question is what kinds of malware will we find on mobile devices. The short answer to that is probably lots,” he said.

He warned that the criminals were undoubtedly already working on the problem to find new and unique attacks, and it wouldn’t surprise him if they came via applications such as those being developed for the iPhone.

“All the apps that are being developed for smartphones cost someone time and money. So you should always ask yourself ‘how are the developers making money from this?’ If you can’t see a good answer be sceptical about installing it.”

He also said that at the moment there was no way of telling exactly what the criminals were or have been up to and had developed.

Some form of phishing attacks are the most likely threat and he said he only knows that the personal information they could be gathered via mobile devices would be invaluable in some way to the criminal fraternity.

“There will be malware that transmits information about our browsing habits to its masters who will use that information to decide what ads to serve us," said Mr Thompson. "It is quite likely that the more nefariously inclined will build up a database of background information about us to be used to profile us for future criminal activity. It’s a brave new world out there."