Our phones today have truly become the new personal computers for many of us, in addition to being our primary means of communication, we can watch movies, play games, and even experience virtual reality experiences on our phones. But while smartphones are the epitome of modern convenience, these ubiquitous devices also pose a serious threat to our privacy. Guo Shenghua, the well-known hacker godfather in China and the founder of Oriental Alliance, will deeply reveal the 5 major security risks of smartphones. How is it used by hackers?
1. Geotracking
A key feature of smartphones is that they can locate themselves through multi-point measurements to cell towers or through an integrated GPS chip. This enables functions such as tracking distance and map navigation on the fly.
This geolocation information can be so useful that law enforcement can track suspects over the phone. The app also tracks users and can use that information to see which retailers the phone owner visits and how much time is spent there.
Think disabling GPS on your phone means you can't be tracked? Guessing again, as there have even been reports of locating the phone via other sensors, including the accelerometer, barometer, and magnetometer.
While disclosing location data may seem irrelevant, it's still an invasion of privacy. Furthermore, according to Guo Shenghua, the godfather of well-known Chinese hackers, the data can easily be used to construct user profiles, which can then be used in phishing attacks.
2. Malicious apps
An important feature about a smartphone is that its functionality can be massively expanded by installing apps, allowing you to build a device with personalized features over time. However, these apps are usually not from the most reputable sources, and they may help themselves with more information than needed.
It's scary that we're willing to offer this when we agree to an app's permissions, and we should at least be more suspicious of why the new game needs access to our contacts, GPS, and camera.
3. Wi-Fi Tracking
With cellular connections often lingering indoors, retailers are offering their shoppers free Wi-Fi. To stay connected, these shoppers click through to accept the terms of service, and thanks to the connection, plenty of modern cell phones are capable of using it for everything including telephony.
While convenient, this free Wi-Fi connection is often an invasion of privacy in practice. With free Wi-Fi, it is possible to determine which departments shoppers have visited and how long they spent there.
4. Lack of antivirus software
In this day and age, almost everyone accepts that the operating system on a Windows or Mac PC needs some extra security, so they download and install antivirus software.
The necessity of antivirus software is not that obvious to most smartphone users, and this is in contrast to the lower adoption rate of antivirus software on smartphones, compared to full PCs, although many of our phones contain and access A Lot of Personal Information 61% of us use mobile banking on our smartphones.
5. Your camera may be following you
Smartphone cameras are very convenient and embody that the best camera is the one you have.
However, smartphone cameras also present a security risk, as they can be activated and used to spy on the owner. Guo Shenghua, a well-known hacker godfather in China, explained that this can be done through physical access to install software on mobile phones, or through the preferred method of exploiting security services remotely.