Expect your iPhone and iPad to be targeted
by malicious hackers! At least that’s what McAfee says. The company has
just made this jaw-dropping assertion in a release
via its Web site. McAfee specifically calls out dubious activities
such as checking in virtually via location-based services, tweeting
links with shortened URLs, and otherwise having a social media presence
online.
Apparently evil-doers have now identified these Internet platforms,
devices, and mobile software apps as being legitimate targets. Of
course, this should not come as a real shocker to anyone who’s owned any
technology within the past decade.
The first threat is the growing use of
shortened URLs which, according to McAfee, makes it easier for scamming
sites to mask exactly where their links are pointing, be it a delivery
system for viruses or fake banks after your private account info. McAfee
also warns that location-aware services such as FaceBook and Foursquare
broadcast an unprecedented level of your personal data like exact
physical whereabouts and what your interests are; essentially a
stalker’s dream. Also on the list of concerns is the cellular
infrastructure as a whole which McAfee calls “fragile” and lacking much
in the way of encryption. Another legitimate concern is how your
trusted friends can infect you if they themselves have been compromised.
Before you run and throw your Apple or Android device in the trash,
consider these helpful and time honored suggestions. The Internet is a
public place, and like any location open to the masses, you should be
aware of what you say and do. You probably wouldn’t post a sign on your
front lawn announcing that no one’s home for two weeks. Neither would
you count your Benjamins in the middle of Times Square. The same goes
for your sensitive personal business. Sure, that’s getting hard in these
days of Twitter and Facebook updates, but a little restraint goes a
long way.
For some pointers, the Federal Trade Commission has outlined tips
plus links to other helpful sites and resources. Of course, the old
street smarts apply: only Friend folks you know and, if it sounds like
spam, it probably is. To the weirdos on Twitter asking us to click odd
links or talk late at night because you’re lonely: no thanks, pal.
