FBI Cyber Head: Smartphones are a Source of Vulnerability
Smartphones and applications for them are becoming increasingly prevalent, with companies issuing smartphones to employees and some employees even developing apps to help them in their work. As much as the smartphone has helped move business forward, it has also lead to another vulnerability channel.
“Mobile phones are a huge source of vulnerability,” Gordon Snow, assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Division, told the Wall Street Journal. “We are definitely seeing an increase in criminal activity.”
According to Snow, the FBI has already started a number of investigations following tips about malicious applications that have been appearing in smartphone apps stores. The WSJ, citing an unnamed source, said the investigations have targeted malware designed to compromise banking and spy on mobile users.
The FBI currently does not allow employees to download apps onto FBI-issued smartphones.
Related posts:
