Mobile hackers cash in on lack of protection offered by networks

Cloudmark claimed that financial gain for mobile spammers has increased exponentially in the past two years due to the introduction of unlimited messaging plans, the proliferation of open networks, smarter devices and the rise of mobile applications.

A recent report by Nielsen Mobile claimed that the typical US mobile user sends and receives more SMS text messages than telephone calls, with a 450 per cent increase seen over the number of text messages circulated monthly during the same period in 2006.

Meanwhile Berg Insight reported that the number of active users of mobile banking and related financial services worldwide is forecasted to increase from 20 million in 2008 to 913 million in 2014.

In response, Cloudmark claimed that spammers have realised that mobile networks often have inadequate protection for mobile spam and fraud, and are prime targets.

Also, mobile users have an inherent trust in their devices, making them more susceptible to attacks, and users are receiving rising numbers of unsolicited messages on their mobile devices.

Cloudmark claimed that although initially, this may seem nothing more than an annoyance, the practice is often the prelude to fraudulent activity as spammers become more adept at infiltrating the network.

Jamie de Guerre, chief technology officer at Cloudmark, said: “The convergence of unlimited messaging plans, enhanced capabilities on mobile devices and the lack of messaging security at many carriers create a perfect opportunity for mobile spammers.

“Mobile operators aim to provide rich content, applications and devices making it imperative that they implement messaging security solutions for the protection of their subscriber base.”

See original article on scmagazineuk.com