Mobile phones are prone to virus attacks, which may compromise your data. Now, Reuters has reported that the extent of risk is more
severe than previously believed. Talking about security attacks, Karsten Nohl, head of Security Research Labs, said, "We can do it to hundreds of thousands of phones in a short timeframe. None of the networks protects users very well." Nohl particularly pointed out the security loopholes found in GSM phones. About 80 percent of the global mobile phone market consists of GSM phones.
Germany is currently holding a convention on mobile security. Online security was recently brought into spotlight after attacks on some strategic and important websites. Strategic Forecasting Inc., a US security think tank, recently revealed that its website's integrity was compromised and that the attack led to the leakage of important information including the names of its corporate subscribers. The attack was reportedly conducted by activist hacker group Anonymous.
If you are worried about the security of your GSM network then you can head to www.gsmmap.org, which lets you measure the security of your carrier. According to the website, France's SFR and Germany's T-Mobile are the most secure carriers. The researchers studied thirty-two operators in 11 countries. The website offers ranking for these operators. Karsten Nohl suggested that one way to improve the security quotient is to keep your software up to date. He said, "Mobile network is by far the weakest part of the mobile ecosystem, even when compared to a lot attacked Android or iOS devices.”