Online security experts in Taiwan have suggested smartphone users download software, update their phone systems and take extra precautions when visiting Web sites on their devices to avoid virus attacks.
Samson Tai (戴燊), the director of the sales engineering department at Taiwan’s major anti-virus solution provider Trend Micro Inc, urged smartphone users to pay special attention when opening PDF or Flash files on Web pages as there might be security holes.
“When you open a PDF file on your smartphone, a virus could invade your phone and steal your information,” he said.
Tai urged users to keep updating their phone’s operating systems or application software because updates will fix security holes.
Smartphone users are particularly vulnerable to giving away personal account and password information on fake shopping or bank Web sites, Tai said.
Many users often don’t realize when they are visiting fake Web sites on smartphones because Web site addresses are either very small or hidden on mobile phone screens for better viewing, Tai said. He suggested that smartphone users use anti-virus software that can help them identify if the Web sites they are visiting are real or not.
The issue of viruses attacking smartphone systems has gained urgency recently after media reported that a Trojan virus has infected smartphones using the increasingly popular Android platform.
Luke Lin, an analyst with Taiwan’s Digitimes Inc, said that free anti-virus software that can deal with the problem is available on the Internet, but he said he expected cases of virus attacks on smartphones to increase as sales of the phones grow.
In one case last month, Lin said, wallpaper software for Google’s Android phones reportedly stole users’ personal information.
Thomas Chuang (莊添發), a consultant to the Taiwan branch of US computer security giant Symantec, said that in the past, hackers launched attacks for the sake of fame, but the situation is different now.
“Many of the attacks are now launched by crime groups to steal personal accounts and passwords,” Chuang said. “Or they try to profit from having your smartphone send out large numbers of text messages or wiretap your phone calls.”
Far EasTone Telecommunications Co, Taiwan’s third-largest telecom operator, which sells Apple’s iPhones, HTC smartphones and Nokia smartphones, has yet to be hit by the bugs.
“So far, we haven’t heard of any such cases in Taiwan or from our users, “ spokeswoman Alison Kao (高治華) said.
Chunghwa Telecom Co, Taiwan’ largest telecom operator, also said that it was not aware of any attacks on the smartphones it distributed.
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