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iPhone App Security – Android App Security: A Growing Digital Risk

Author: Eric Everson, Chief Technology Officer – MyMobiSafe.com

It’s being called a “gold rush” as estimates such as yesterday’s breaking news on the topic declared, “Flurry predicts that by the end of next year, 150,000 apps will be available for Android phones, up from around 20,000 to 25,000 now.” Developers are beginning to dive into this fast growing new phenomenon of mobile apps.

With developers sharing stories about making tens of thousands of dollars by selling their apps, this is an emerging market that is showing no signs of an economic slowdown. In fact in the same piece by Lance Whitney, it was noted that, “The growth has been meteoric for Apple for iPhone and iPod Touch penetration,” he said. “They’re already past 50 million units in the marketplace for iPhone and iPod Touch.” …while the iPhone is a killer device that gives people a portable computer in their pocket, Apple knows it needs third-party developers, which is one reason the company controls the store. And developers will go wherever they can get a good customer base, realizing that they can build an app once for the App Store and draw in a lot of consumers.” (Read Full Article Here)

This is great news right? A hot emerging market opportunity in a sluggish economy, what’s not to love about that? Not to spoil the celebration, but as a digital security consultant this emerging market has introduced some serious new digital security risks. Don’t just take my word for it, recently security expert Kenneth Van Wyk noted, “Is anyone else concerned about the security of this new gold rush? Just how safe is it to download and use, say, an application that can access my Amazon account and make purchases with “one click”? (Gulp!)” Van Wyk goes on to explore, “…time will illuminate the issues more clearly. For now, I sure hope the application developers aren’t consumed by a gold rush mentality and that they’re practicing safe development methods to ensure all the good stuff—solid authentication, encryption of sensitive data, input validation, etc.—are being thoroughly addressed in the code they release into the wild.” (Read Full Article Here)

Have we opened Pandora’s Box yet again? Having been involved in mobile security for many years as the founder of MyMobiSafe.com, I will say that we’ve just begin to scratch the surface. As we’ve identified (and are working to address at MyMobiSafe.com) developers want to maximize their profitability in this gold rush which often means foregoing security protocols that could prove harmful to your mobile device. The days of cell phones being a disposable technology are quickly coming to an end as these little devices have become primary sources of our proprietary data. From the ability to connect to your bank account to the names and numbers of the people closest to you, your handset security should certainly become one of your top priorities.

With the Android boom of 2010 taking shape, we are about to see a surge (of tidal wave proportions) in the development of mobile apps. Likewise, the iPhone App Store remains just as hot as ever as the iPhone and iPod Touch devices have surpassed the 50 million user mark. There is certainly money to be made, but both users and developers alike must demand a greater level of security to keep everybody’s mobile devices safer. I don’t need my masters degree in Software Engineering to tell you that rushed software is bad software, so before you download that next app, checkout your developer’s credentials.

About the Author: Eric Everson is a leader in mobile technologies and is the founder of the U.S.-based MyMobiSafe.com. If you would like to contact Eric Everson for interview or with consulting related inquiries contact him directly at EricEverson@Hotmail.com.