Computer security experts are worried that the advances in smartphone technology, such as achieved by the Apple iPhone 3G S will lead to an increased threat of malware.

Basically, as the ability to mobile surf becomes the norm, mobile phones will become just as vulnerable to attack from malware as desktops and laptops.

And what’s more, the popularity of the App Store makes the chance of malware infiltration far higher than before. Experts say that the problems being encountered by PC users now on a daily basis (spam, viruses and identity theft), could become commonplace on mobile phones.

The experts are worried that smartphones, effectively complex multimedia devices which have a number of ways of communicating, and which are updated on a very regular basis, are leaving the security industry trying to play catch up.

So the best solution, claim the experts, is rather than the onus being on the mobile user protecting themselves, is to get the network operators to take control of the situation. They should introduce sophisticated security techniques including anti-flooding technology, anti-spam and virus filtering software, and, blacklisting programmes.

Whether the network operators agree that one of their roles is to act as policemen against malware threats remains to be seen. But if someone doesn’t get a grip on developments soon, warn the security companies, then the situation will get out of hand and mobile surfers will become a happy hunting ground for the cyber criminals.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

McAfee is being kept busy through the global downturn with individuals and companies continuing to see sense and value in protecting their computer systems, and is developing a number of key products for Apple.

McAfee, which is the world’s number two security software company in the world, has also just told investors that business, whilst hard during the start of the year, has actually improved over the last two months.

The McAfee CEO was in an upbeat mood as he revealed that the company had experienced a virtual freeze in January and February 2009, but added that March was better, with April better still and that currently, things had virtually returned to normal spending levels.

And McAfee is also developing products for the design-led computer group Apple. A comprehensive security suite was currently in development for both Mac computers and the iPhone family.

In particular, McAfee believes that as more and more applications become available for the iPhone, from thousands of software developers, so the threat to security will increase dramatically. Avoiding identity theft and data loss will become big worries for the iPhone user. It has been reported that since its launch in July, 2008, over one billion programmes have been downloaded from the Apple App Store.

Although confirming that such an Apple security suite was in development, McAfee didn’t let on when it would be released.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Users of Mac computers have by and large been free of the internet-born viruses, but now bot herders are going after Apple owners as well.

By the way, in case you were wondering, a bot herder is a cracker which automatically scans a network to discover a vulnerable system. A computer without a current internet patch is such a system and they exploit the hole by installing their own particular bot programme. The machine, now infected, is regarded as a zombie. A number of zombies make-up a botnet and this infiltrated network is then controlled by the bot herder. And one of the best techniques for controlling such a botnet is via an internet relay chat channel.

So, there we are, and with computers becoming increasingly popular, and the percentage of Macs in use also going up, they have now become a viable target for cyber criminals. And the Achilles heal for Mac users is pirated software.

In the frame is the well-known, peer-to-peer site BitTorrent, which Mac fans use to share large files. It’s thought by computer security experts that doing the rounds has been a number of examples of pirated Apple software, including Adobe Photoshop and iWork. The programmes might work, but the sting in the tail is that they are infected with a trojan called OSXIservice.

This trojan infiltrates the Mac by installing remote control software. Once installed, it contacts other computers within the network with the aim of destroying websites, or web servers, with a denial-of-service attack. Such an attack is a form of extortion. The trojan shuts down a website and the hackers approach the owners and demand money for the key to get it back working. Although it’s hard to get figures on how often this happens – website owners who have been affected are naturally coy when admitting they have to pay ransom demands for their own website back – the problem is getting worse.

And whereas Mac users were not of the number for the hackers to be bothered with, their recent success has ironically led to some unwanted attention.

So, Mac users, beware of pirates bearing gifts it could cost you dear in the end.

Guest Article by Neil Camp