Is your smartphone doing dirty work for criminal gangs?

Today’s smartphones are incredibly powerful, and they’re just about on par with the desktops and laptops we were using a few years ago. In most cases, that’s a very good thing. It means we’re able to accomplish all sorts of tasks on the go that would have required a computer. Things like online banking, editing pictures and documents, and video chatting with our families and friends.

But the folks who develop useful productivity apps and the mobile games we love aren’t the only ones who are giving smartphones and tablets increased attention. Malware authors and the criminal gangs who they work for are also making the move to mobile.

Earlier this year, it was reported that as many as 20,000 Android devices were actively communicating with servers known to be connected to cybercrime activities. Through the installation of Trojanized Android apps, those devices had become zombies and were now active participants in a mobile botnet.

Smartphone malware puts its owner at risk of everything from racking up huge bills to premium SMS numbers, to browser hijacking, to identity theft. But there are additional risks that many might not normally consider — and those risks are exacerbated by the fact that most of us aren’t yet using anti-malware software on our mobile devices.

Part of the reason, of course, is that it’s not yet available on some mobile OSes. In fact, Android and BlackBerry are pretty well the only mobile platforms whose app stores offer full-blown anti-malware apps with realtime protection. Without active protection, your device could be quietly performing all kinds of malicious tasks in the background without you ever noticing.

But prevailing sentiment is that the risk to smartphone users is currently very low. That’s only going to hold true for so long — just look at the uptick in Apple malware we’ve seen this year. If malware isn’t a problem on a specific operating system, it’s going to become a problem. Jailbroken iOS devices have already been compromised, and there was a non-malicious (unless you really ,really don’t like being Rickrolled) worm that briefly caused quite a stir. Windows Phone has been immune so far, but it would be foolish to assume that it will never receive the bad guys’ attention.

For now, common sense is key. Android users, grab a free anti-malware app from the market. iOS users, make sure to change the default root password if you jailbreak your device. And regardless of which mobile OS you use, make sure you carefully read the descriptions of the apps you’re installing before you install them. A little common sense goes a long way when it comes to mobile security.

[Source: PR Newswire]