How To

3 Simple Steps to Hack a Smartphone (Includes Video)

Security firm Trust Digital demonstrates how easy it is to steal data and push nasty stuff to a mobile device with nothing more than a phone number

By Joan Goodchild, Senior Editor

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The attacks, according to Machlin, prove that texts can no longer be considered safe. And these kinds of hacks are unique to smartphones because PCs don't have SMS capabilities, he said.

Which smartphones are vulnerable to these kinds of attacks? That varies widely depending on the security settings and practices in place for use of the device. Some contend that mobile devices still pose little security threat to an organization. In fact, in a recent hacking "contest" that took place in March, none of the smartphones slated for attack were compromised. However, a report from Gartner analyst John Girard predicts as wireless devices become more pervasive in the enterprise, the potential for security problems will increase.

Machlin advised all smartphones that are under an organization's control be tightly monitored, patched and updated regularly to avoid users taking matters in their own hands (See also: The Top 5 Stupid Things That People Do with Mobile Phones).

"The IT guys need to control the phones and secure them. They need to always be ahead (of the threats) and push the right patches to the population."