Smartphones trigger for identity theft

Smartphones could be targeted with malware and spyware designed to steal personal information, such as banking details.

Peter Beardmore, director of product marketing at security company Kaspersky Lab, told The Age that cybercriminals are now looking at several different sources of information to steal data. One of the fastest growing areas, he says, are smartphones.

”A mobile phone is not a good candidate for a botnet like you have in the PC world, where it can enslave your computer and let it do work to send spam or whatever. But (a mobile phone) is a great candidate to steal user data from.”

“In one of the most recent high-profile cases of a lost smartphone, a young Apple employee left a prototype of the next-generation iPhone on a Redwood City, California, bar stool in March.”

Beardmore says these type of situations allow for data to be easily stolen, and warns users must keep strict security on their devices.