If you can take it with you, someone else can take it from you
Posted by Brian Wong
Even a no-longer-cutting-edge BlackBerry or mobile phone holds enough data to be a major security breach when lost. Many devices already include password protection and automatic locks, and some software gives system administrators the ability to wirelessly transmit a command to erase data when a device is lost.
The new and forthcoming capabilities of mobile phones will require greater security measures. Mobile phones already store address book information, text messages, e-mail, documents and other data, and pictures, and as they acquire broadband connectivity they also present an entry for viruses and hacks. Some mobile phone companies recognize that the time to act is before the problem spreads, and have turned to software and hardware-based solutions.
Research firm IDC reported that the market for mobile security software will grow around 70 percent annually to ready nearly $1 billion in 2008 from $70 million in 2003.
The Trusted Computing Group, which is supported by Nokia, Motorola, Intel, Samsung, VeriSign and Vodafone, among others, has proposed hardware-based security standards for mobile phones. In addition to protecting user data, the proposed standard enables digital rights management ("DRM") technology - copyright protection - as demanded by the entertainment industry before it will supply content to mobile phones. The technology will also allow mobile phone operators to better control the services and software that can run on the devices. The Trusted Computing Group lists 10 examples of hardware-based security applications for mobile phones.