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Archive for 2009
Code that protects most cellphone calls is divulged
Filed Under: Mobile Security NewsTuesday, December 29th, 2009
Next Community
A German computer engineer said Monday that he had deciphered and published the secret code used to encrypt most of the world’s digital mobile phone calls, in what he called an attempt to expose weaknesses in the security of the world’s wireless systems.
The action by the encryption expert Karsten Nohl aimed to question the effectiveness of the 21-year-old GSM algorithm, a code developed in 1988 and still used to protect the privacy of 80 percent of the world’s mobile calls.
Read more about cell phone network security
Gadgets
Filed Under: TechMonday, December 28th, 2009
I’m a gadget geek. I freely admit it. I love electronic gadgets, and that’s all there is to it. What’s better, I get to play with gadgets for a living. Is this great or what?! Each week, I’m going to take a little bit of time to write here and reflect gadgets, technology, and maybe a little bit of news here and there. As you would expect, being on the SMobile site, I will generally focus on mobile technology.
New mobile “devices” (as they’re called in the industry) come out constantly, and each round is more capable than the last. Something I find very interesting is how mobile gadgets are changing our lives. They offer us a level of connectivity to the world around us that has never been possible before. It wasn’t long ago that my cell phone could do little more than make phone calls. If you were on the cutting edge, you had a slick little flip phone with a camera built in. If you were lucky, you had a camera with enough resolution that you could actually tell who you had taken the picture of! Now, I can’t imagine having a phone that can not surf the web, shoot video, run custom applications to do things like update Twitter or Facebook, and give me directions to the nearest coffee shop.
Unless you live in a very remote area, you probably have access to at least one carrier’s mobile data network. Just about anywhere, you can have an always-on connection to the internet in the palm of your hand. Combine that with a touch screen interface, and you literally have the world at your fingertips.
Check back regularly, and explore the world of gadgets and mobile technology with me!
Sexting: What parents should know
Filed Under: Mobile Security NewsWednesday, December 23rd, 2009
WNYT.com
These simple tips may help parents start a discussion with their child and help make personal decisions for their family about access to the internet and cell phones:
Set time of day limits on cell phone usage: While many parents have a hard time regulating the number of texts per month and have surrendered to “unlimited texting”, you can control the hours that your teen texts. We suggest determining a time when cell phones come of the pocket or out of the bedroom and are placed in a central location on a charger along with your cell phone. Kids who are permitted to keep their cell phones in their room overnight on average get less sleep and are often times texting in the middle of the night. Make the right choice in allowing your teen to obtain uninterrupted sleep by limiting the hours that they have phone access and set rules on when texting is appropriate.
Read more about sexting…
Click here to learn more about SMobile’s Parental Controls
Mobile Security Blog
Filed Under: SecurityMonday, December 21st, 2009
Over the past few weeks I’ve been struggling with ideas for New Year’s resolutions for 2010. I can honestly say that I have never made a New Year’s resolution in all of my 32 years, but life has dictated that it may be time to make a few. My short list of ideas includes a number of things to enrich my personal life beyond material things that have come and gone and a few to advance my education and technical expertise. That’s where this blog comes in…well, that and the boss said I had to. Around my numerous pool leagues, I’m constantly bombarded with questions about the newest Smartphone to hit the market or which operating system is the best, and when someone should expect a new update to some random application they tinker with or the OS as a whole. It’s difficult to keep up with all of the devices that are rapidly deploying to the market and the numerous carriers that will support what devices. I would have to take my shoes off to be able to count the names of blogs and websites off of the top of my head that devote countless hours and articles to these very issues. Heck, Android has an app for that (pardon the pun).
So, in the coming months I will be focusing most of my attention on security related issues that might affect Smartphone users, as well as some that are not necessarily related to mobile devices. Since I began, and much of my career, in the InfoSec world as a CERT analyst and penetration tester, the state of security issues related to wired networks is still a major concern of mine. In fact, up until about 6 months ago, I was happily cracking wired networks and only carried a BlackBerry Pearl in my pocket. I understood the threat that existed in my pocket, but it was not a concern that was on the forefront of my mind. Most of the places I went into for work wouldn’t even let me carry my phone into the room. I’ve recently made the transition (rather seamlessly, I might add) to Android and I’m loving every day that my pretty little myTouch and I get to spend together.
Read more about mobile device security…
Parental Controls Thank You
Filed Under: pc-thank-youMonday, December 21st, 2009
Thank you for purchasing SMobile Parental Control and Monitoring.
Please click the ad to the right if you would like to learn more about Net Nanny’s PC parental control software.
Support Basics
Filed Under: SupportMonday, December 21st, 2009
To avoid initial difficulties in downloading and registering our applications customers should first review the mobile anti-virus security installation/user guides. Blackberry users should make sure that all the permissions are set to allow for trouble free registration.
Gender Divide in Children's Use of Cell Phone Features, Study Finds
Filed Under: Mobile Security NewsFriday, December 18th, 2009
In a study of nearly 1,000 middle-school students, students were asked to rate the different ways they use their cell phone on a five-point scale, from zero meaning “Never” to 5 meaning “Several Times a Day.” The study found that boys scored higher than girls for using their cell phones to play games, share pictures and videos, listen to music and/or send e-mails, even after accounting for how much the students liked using their phones and how skilled they were at using them, says Cotten, whose study appears in the current issue of the journal New Media & Society.
“It has a lot to do with gender socialization,” says Cotten. “Boys are often taught to explore and be more creative with technology and not to be afraid to take things apart. So it leads to more advanced cell phone uses among boys. Boys tend to see and use the cell phone as a gadget.”
Read more about children’s cell phone usage…
Gender Divide in Children’s Use of Cell Phone Features, Study Finds
Filed Under: Mobile Security NewsFriday, December 18th, 2009
In a study of nearly 1,000 middle-school students, students were asked to rate the different ways they use their cell phone on a five-point scale, from zero meaning “Never” to 5 meaning “Several Times a Day.” The study found that boys scored higher than girls for using their cell phones to play games, share pictures and videos, listen to music and/or send e-mails, even after accounting for how much the students liked using their phones and how skilled they were at using them, says Cotten, whose study appears in the current issue of the journal New Media & Society.
“It has a lot to do with gender socialization,” says Cotten. “Boys are often taught to explore and be more creative with technology and not to be afraid to take things apart. So it leads to more advanced cell phone uses among boys. Boys tend to see and use the cell phone as a gadget.”
Read more about children’s cell phone usage…
Cyber threat: Bullies go high-tech these days
Filed Under: Mobile Security NewsThursday, December 17th, 2009
Katie Brown Education Program
The Herald News
Communicating through technology has become one of the most popular forms of socializing among children and teens. Along with the benefits of this trend, such as convenience and saving time, comes the risk that technology could be used to hurt or embarrass peers. Cyber bullying, defined as harassment using an electronic medium such as e-mail, chat rooms, cell phones, and instant messaging, is a mounting problem among youth. Your child may have even experienced cyber bullying in your own home. It is important to be informed on this emergent issue so that you will be able to help if your child is involved with cyber bullying behavior.
Cyber bullying is similar to traditional bullying (harassment in classrooms, hallways, at bus stops, etc) in several ways.
Read more about cyber-bullying…
Contact Us
Filed Under: contactTuesday, December 15th, 2009
How to Contact SMobile
Our international headquarters, Global Threat Center and customer support center is located at:
4320 East 5th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43219
United States of America
| Phone: | +1.866.323.0480 |
| Fax: | +1.614.251.4083 |
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[email protected] |
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