A security software firm believes Google’s Android OS is an easier mark for hackers and malware than Apple’s iOS. Trend Micro, a chief provider of security for corporate servers, believes Android’s vulnerabilities stem from its open source architecture vs. Apple’s proprietary system and its “sandbox concept” of blunting viruses from replicating. Of course, cynics will say that Trend just released a product designed to protect Android, so that may have played a role in their way of thinking. But Trend also has an iOS product, because like Calvin, they believe that “smartphones are the next PC.”
Taking the opposite tack, security stalwarts McAfee Labs believe that the historic lack of crippling malware troubles on Apple’s products has made users complacent. One of the downside of Apple’s success in the mobile realm is that hackers increasingly view the platform as a desirable target. McAfee’s senior VP Vincent Weafer told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that mobile computing has “become very popular in a short amount of time, and we’re already seeing a significant increase in vulnerabilities, attacks and data loss.” Who’s watching your mobile data?
But hackers aren’t entirely fixated on your iPhone. The Nevada Gaming Control Board claims to have recently investigated “numerous incidents” regarding compromised security at casinos. Casinos keep extensive databases of their clients, but the Board isn’t convinced they’re being sufficiently protected from identity theft. As such, it’s circulating a reminder of state policies regarding compulsory security measures by gaming licensees, and the penalties for not keeping customer data private. That penalty? You have use a Windows Mobile smartphone. Shudder…
