Many think Android smartphones & iPhones are more secure than PCs. They're a closed-platform device, they use iOS or Android, they receive auto-updates…

Oh, and they don't run on Windows.

So people tend to trust their phones more than PCs. (Part of the reason why they spend so much time on them!)

But is your information truly safer on a smartphone? Are you less vulnerable to malware or information theft?

Turns out the answer to that is 'no.' Malware apps for smartphones are growing in numbers. And unlike the Windows security infrastructure already out there, the malware is ahead in the smartphone security game.

Smartphone Security: Slip Past Google and You're In

This LA Times article talks about Google removing malicious apps from phones & tablets. In other words, the malicious apps had already infected those phones & tablets. They got past Google and into the Android Marketplace.

How? By sneaking in. It works like this:

1. Phone hackers download an app.
2. They insert malicious code into the app's own programming. For example, code that makes your phone call expensive numbers. Or it forwards your text messages to a location they control.
3. Then they re-upload the infected app.
4. People download it, thinking it's the same as what they see on the Android Market. Their phone now has a wide-open backdoor.

We have a dangerous precedent here: Malware can be hidden in almost any smartphone app. Even in an anti-virus! There's no outward sign, so you don't know anything's wrong. Until, of course, it's too late.

This throws the whole security question out of whack.

• What do you trust to protect phones?
• How much of a risk do phones pose to your company network?
• Even if that is risk "little to none" right now, how fast could that change?

Windows Security: Not Perfect, but Prepared

Microsoft makes a whole series of products available, from Security Essentials to Forefront, to protect your systems night & day. The Forefront security series even has provisions for protecting mobile devices (despite phones running on a different operating system).

There are third-party platforms for Windows security too. Norton, Kaspersky, Barracuda Networks, etc.

It's not perfect, no. But security holes on this platform are well-understood, and planned for by systems administrators.

Ask yourself this. If a Windows security alert popped up, would your company be ready? Chances are, they would.

Now imagine if the security threat came from a phone someone brought into the office. Would you be ready then? Would you even know you've been attacked?

How to Protect Your Phone

It's a question of protection now. Smartphones are now a high security risk and can't be ignored. Every business must secure the phones their employees use.

Here are some ways to protect a smartphone from malware and information theft.

• Password-lock your phone.
• Review your smartphone bill. Check for strange numbers showing up multiple times.
• Keep your phone's OS up-to-date by downloading the latest patches.
• If your server security tools have mobile protection, enable them.
• Consider a trusted antivirus software app for mobile devices. Kaspersky has one; so does ESET.
• Watch your battery level. If you're fully charged at bedtime, and the phone's almost dead in the morning? There could be activity going on. And chances are it's not friendly.

The fact is – Any Operating System that is popular will be attacked. It's not a question of when or how. It's a question of "how do we keep our computing devices safe." Whether they're on your desk or in your hand.