With smartphones, more people than ever before – half of the UK population has one – are at risk of being victim to cybercrime.

Bearing this in mind, Tom Neate, managing director of Get Safe Online, wants people to realise that data protection is essential in today's digital age.

He explains that what people with smartphones have to realise is the fact that they are effectively carrying the equivalent of a desktop PC from seven to eight years ago. They might be slim devices, but they possess substantial processing power.

"The functionality on [the smartphones] makes them very valuable, valuable not just for the price of the phone, but for the intrinsic data that is being held on them," Mr Neate explained.

Consequently, criminals operating in the cyber world are increasingly shifting their focus to smartphones, realising that many people are unaware of information security risks.

The tech expert said: "We're seeing the potential of people targeting individuals to get their mobile phones off them and also we're seeing applications being used from app stores on some of the phones - specifically android phones - which are susceptible to having attacks made against them using different applications."

Appetite for smartphones has changed drastically in recent years. The Guardian recently reported that as recent as five years ago, Apple had not sold a single mobile phone in that category. Nokia, the early leaders of smartphones had a modest offering with its Symbian offering.

Charles Arthur, the newspaper's technology editor, said that all changed with the introduction of the iPhone, which has set the standard in terms of design, usability and processing power.

Get Safe Online is a joint initiative between the government, law enforcement, leading businesses and the public sector.

Its aim is to provide computer users and small businesses with free, independent, user-friendly advice that will allow them to use the internet confidently, safely and securely.

Posted by Tom Bradley
 

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