The experts have warned against the possibility of losing important database when using the software pieces with no clear origin, saying that it would be better to use the products provided by prestigious firms, and that people should only install the software if they are sure about the safety.
The risk of having personal data stolen obvious
Some websites run by hackers recently have shown the ways to steal data from the free messaging software WhatsApp with just free tools and codes. Until August 2012, all the data sent with WhatsApp had not been encoded; therefore, hackers could easily steal all the information stored in the personal mobile phones, and even the users’ mobile phone numbers if they use public wifi.
The latest version of the software updated in September has data encoded, but the encoding is simply that which does not take hackers a lot of exertion to unlock. Especially, someone just needs to access to Google to search with “hack whatsapp” to find out the video clips or the stories guiding how to unlock the WhatsApp messaging software.
Prior to that, users heard about a free messaging software sourced from China with the “Look Around” feature, allowing users easily find the people using the same software who are present near the users.
This is a kind of LBS (location based service) which has raised debates about the privacy in many countries in the world. Crimes have been reportedly using the software to seek the locations of the victims.
An IT expert has cited Xinhua News as saying that a local court in China has decided an eight year jail sentence for a man for his committed rape. The man reportedly used the software piece to get acquaintance with young girls in Ningbo City, and then used “Look Around” to find out where the girls were and commited his crimes.
According to Nguyen Minh Duc, a senior executive of BKAV, a Vietnamese leading network security solution provider, more and more users have utilized the software pieces because they can chat, make calls via Internet free of charge.
However, the software pieces access to Internet through IP addresses, which means that users would meet the same risks like the users of normal desktop computers.
Also according to Duc, Yahoo Messenger and Skype have been developing for a long time and have been warned about the possible data loss. Therefore, necessary measures to encode data have been used for the networks.
Meanwhile, the apps for mobile phones have been developing only in the last few years, while these have been utilized by many small businesses. Therefore, no appropriation attention has been paid to the data security.
Though smart phone is considered a “computer in small size,” it would not be simple to install security software on mobile phones to control the sending and receiving of data.
Especially, anti-virus software for smart phones have even been excluded from Windows Phone Store or Apple Store, because the firms believe that their operation systems cannot be infected with viruses, and that only when users try to jailbreak or root the operation system, will they be able to create security holes.
Therefore, Nguyen Pho Son from CMC Infosec said that users should only choose the software products provided by prestigious firms.
Source: Vietnamnet
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