Mobile Security

Eventually, I imagine I'll use a cell phone to pay for goods and services. It's already being done in places like Japan and Finland, although not all of the technology has been worked out. But it's only a matter of time before I whip out my cell phone to pay a bill at a restaurant or buy a new pair of shoes.

The first steps have already been taken. According to Wikipedia, there are four main methods of mobile payment. The method most commonly used in Asia is direct mobile billing, where the customer's mobile account is charged. Some companies have mobile apps that allow on-line shopping from your mobile device. For example, Amazon has apps and procedures for mobile payments from the Android, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Mobile Marketing Watch reports on a survey of mobile phone users done by Myxer, a company that specializes in mobile media content. According to the article, ("Myxer Sheds Light on mCommerce Habits of Today's Mobile Shoppers", http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/myxer-sheds-light-on-mcommerce-habits-of-todays-mobile-shoppers-17090/#more-17090), 53% of 2400 mobile users who answered the survey said they made a purchase from their mobile phone. Of that 53%, 31% said they like to have their purchases charged on their mobile bill, while 18% liked to pay by credit card. Younger people in the 18-24 age group were more likely to prefer having the purchase on their mobile bill while those in the older age group preferred to pay by credit card.

No doubt those numbers will continue to grow. In my opinion, that makes security an even more important concern. In the wake of the Rupert Murdoch phone hacking scandal, it's clear that smartphone security will be in important issue, as use of smartphones and other mobile devices increases. Not only do smartphone users need to secure email messages, other information used for e-commerce must be protected.

An article on smart phone security on the website Tech Republic (What are the prospects for smartphone security threats?, http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/security/what-are-the-prospects-for-smartphone-security-threats/3752?tag=mantle_skin;content), downplays threats like viruses because laptops, desktops and servers are still better targets. But the article outlines two immediate security threats to smartphones. The first is the simple danger of having a device stolen. " I have yet to see any smartphone from any vendor whose screen-locking mechanism is worth more than a few moments’ delay for a determined and technically proficient thief," the article reads. "The blame, of course, lies in part at the feet of the smartphone’s need for convenience — and the fact that, with the extremely limited user interfaces of these devices, convenience effectively means no security at all."

The other threat, according to the article, involves the growing use of the smartphone for financial transactions. "The problems are with the lack of suitability these devices have, at present, for securely managing these transactions," says the article.

All of these issues will be worked out, but it may happen in a jerky, one-step-forward-two-steps-back fashion, as technology tries to keep pace with consumer demand.