I want my old mobile phone back, new ones are too easily hijacked

Tony Austin
Friday, 24 April 2009 13:21

Business IT - Technology

It seems that a hijacker can take over your smartphone via a suitably crafted SMS message or via an attack at a wireless hot spot, according to Trust Digital.

I've been using GSM digital phones since they first came out in Australia, and don't really want most of the advanced features of the recent generations of devices.

I don't move around much these days, primarily using a powerful desktop system with four high-resolution monitors -- haven't got room for more!

So I don't need or want to surf the web while on the move, via a tiny postage-stamp-sized color screen where most text appears as unreadable blobs, virtually impossible to read in sunlight, with keyboard buttons far too tiny and close together for my sturdy fingers.

I'm extremely particular regarding hardware and software design and usability, and find there are practically no current phone models at all out that meet my standards. So far, I've been using only Nokia phones, and still prefer the Nokia 6310 that I purchased quite a few years ago, with its monochrome screen that can be read easily under all conditions as well as excellent widely-spaced raised keys for easy typing. Most newer phones are far less usable in at least these regards.

As if that wasn't enough, it seems that with all the sophisticated features crammed into the newer devices we're leaving ourselves ever wider open to mobile cyber attack.

Smartphone security and management specialists Trust Digital have just released version 8.0 of their Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) platform, providing enhanced device management to enable fast and flexible mitigation of new smartphone hacker threats and other emerging security risks.

I suggest you watch the following YouTube clips that Trust Digital have put together to appreciate your exposure to what they call "business card attacks."

A little scary, eh, with serious implications at both the enterprise and personal level