baby1
08-22-2011, 07:23 AM
Your smartphone may not be as secure as you might think. More then 8 out of 10 mobile smart phone apps recently failed to pass the security test of a watchdog company.
ViaForensic researchers downloaded the apps from iTunes and the Android Market in four categories: finance, productivity, social networking, and retail. After installing the apps using traceable data, the technicians tested to see what data was protected or encrypted.
The digital security company found only 17 percent of the 100 apps received a passing grade. Nearly 40 percent outright failed for storing passwords, user names, or other information that could easily lead to financial or identity theft.
More from Menshealth.com: Your Cell is Hurting Your Sperm
And here’s the kicker: They didn’t even try that hard to find flaws. ““We only conducted three tests, about 10 percent of a full security audit. If we were to perform a full audit, the numbers would be worse,” says co-founder Andrew Hoog, Chief Investigative Officer. “It’s very possible to build secure mobile apps, it just takes a more attention to detail then we’re seeing now.”
ViaForensic researchers downloaded the apps from iTunes and the Android Market in four categories: finance, productivity, social networking, and retail. After installing the apps using traceable data, the technicians tested to see what data was protected or encrypted.
The digital security company found only 17 percent of the 100 apps received a passing grade. Nearly 40 percent outright failed for storing passwords, user names, or other information that could easily lead to financial or identity theft.
More from Menshealth.com: Your Cell is Hurting Your Sperm
And here’s the kicker: They didn’t even try that hard to find flaws. ““We only conducted three tests, about 10 percent of a full security audit. If we were to perform a full audit, the numbers would be worse,” says co-founder Andrew Hoog, Chief Investigative Officer. “It’s very possible to build secure mobile apps, it just takes a more attention to detail then we’re seeing now.”