If you ask most people where there cell phone is, they can answer faster than if you asked that same persons where there car keys are. For most people, their phone is rarely beyond their arm’s length and for still more, kept closer than that. The world has changed the way that it does business, including where and when the business is done. No one is ever far from closing a deal, making a sale or setting up a meeting, even when they are strolling down a remote beach. As long as they can get cell phone service, they can still be “at work” even when they are supposed to be at play. The more that we have asked of our cell phones, the smarter they have had to become. Once upon a time we had a cell phone in one pocket and a PDA in the other, now we have a smart phone, period. We have celebrated the marriage of cell phone to the PDA, but forgot about one minor thing: the security. The more apps that a smart phone can do, the more risks there are to its security and to that of its user.

A smart phone is defined as one that not only make phone calls like a regular cell phone but can also send and receive emails, create and edit Microsoft Office word documents and other types of computer related applications. The operating system of a smart phone is one that allows for these productivity apps and will vary depending on the smart phone and the network provider. Most have some additional software beyond what a typical cell phone might have including the ability to handle financial information managers. The smart phone can also access the Web at varying speeds. While some of the other phones might have some limited browsing capabilities, they may not be able to view real internet pages but rather only a limited “mobile only” page that does not have full information. In addition to texting capabilities, the smart phone can access the user’s personal or business email accounts from a number of platforms.

However, for all of the things that smart phones can do, they are not invulnerable to threats, especially when they are used with the public Wi-Fi network. Information that is being accessed or sent back and forth can be intercepted and viewed by a person without the user being aware of it, the so called “man in the middle” attack. Other threats include the ability to set up devices to capture all of the pertinent information that is stored on the phone, including contact information, addresses and other vital information that can lead to identity theft problems as well as other threats down the road.Security risks to smart phones are nothing new, they have been an issue ever since the first one was released. There are measures that can be taken, including not using the phone in public Wi-Fi hot spots, not opening messages or mobile emails from senders that you do not know and having the new mobile security software added to your phone. Adding encryption software to your phone can afford some measure of protection as well.