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My Friend Says "hacking Not Big Problem W/ Smart Phones"


gawguy
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I enlisted the help of a friend to get me going w/ the android I bought. My first mobile. First thing I wanted to do was download AVG and get it running. He is a very intelligent, educated and pretty tech-savvy guy. He has at least 3 mobiles and always pushed me to get one.

 

When he saw my concern with getting an anti-virus up and running before anything else, he remarked: "It's not a big deal. Hacking into smart phones isn't anything like the problem there is with computers. It's not that common." Really!!? If that is true I will be so surprised. I've heard thru media that S/Ph's are more vulnerable and difficult to protect. My yahoo mail has never been hacked and I need to protect it because it's a gateway to so much info.

 

What do you think about this "It's not a big problem" idea?

 

Also what about AVG Free Edition as a an antivirus choice? I guess Avast is another free one with a good reputation.

 

Thanks,

GG

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If you are concerned about certain sites (email / banking etc) then only utilise your smartphone as a tethered modem for your laptop for them, in that instance you will be afforded the same amount of protection you previously had with your Laptop / Aircard combo.

 

Personally I have never had a problem and have been using Smartphones since 2004 (windows mobile 2003 ME on an O2 followed by windows 5 mobile) until switching to IOS on the first generation iPhone back in 2007

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You Yahoo account is your Yahoo account. Any vulnerabilities that exist withing the Yahoo platform are outside of your control. The only thing you have control over is data stored on your device/laptop whatever. Viruses and other forms of malicious software have traditionally targeted the Windoze platform for what seem to be several reasons, its immense user base, ease of access to the underlying code and known security holes seem custom made for hacking with. Other operating systems likely have similar flaws but with one major disadvantage so far as those wanting to create trouble or harvest data is concerned and that is a pifflingly tiny user base by comparison. Android may become the exception to that rule in time as it's market share and the number of devices running its code increases but as of right now I think there are few real problems and having owned many Android devices I've never experienced a single issue of concern.

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Whilst I think that Apple now has a vast user base what with all the iDevices, I agree with you that the traditional sport of malicious attacks, does seem to be Windoze based and I'll go beyond "known security holes" and say, Appalling Code.

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Coss,

 

Your comment is now dated, there are now more people online via a mobile device, be it Tablet, Phablet or Smartphone than there are from conventional PC / Laptop environment, even in the US the change over happened more than 12 months ago. For Mobile Linux based OS (Android) makes up for 54% of users, Unix (IOS) 31%, Other (Blackberry etc) about 13% and Microsoft the 2% balance, where as for desktops and Laptops Microsoft is over 91%, Unix 7.5% and 1.5% Linux.

 

Hackers are modern day thief's, At one end of the scale there is the meticulous thief (hacker) going for the big prize, think along the lines of the Great Train Robbers, Brinks Mat Robbers etc, after the big prize, they will try to hack at minimum server level (even share between Linus, Unix and MS in this application) then there are the opportunist thief (hacker) the Pickpocket, Shoplifter, checking vehicle and property windows, doors etc, small time crooks who can cause untold misery to their victims.

 

For the vast majority of the global population their first exposure to the online world is via an Android Smartphone, I am sure you have seen it yourself in your part of Asia just as much as I have seen in here over the past 18 months, nowadays there seem to be more people who have one than don't. The most common Android hack here in VN is to make the phone call a premium rate number and costs 50 Cents, may not sound like much, there are estimated to be over 131 Million cell phone sin VN of which half are Smart Phones to which equates out to 37.5 Million Android devices, if only 1% fall foul to it that is $187,500 not bad for a country where the average salary is $150 / Month.

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