Gone are the days when one only had to protect his personal computer from the attack of viruses or malware. Security companies the world over are now wary of an increased threat to non-PC devices that are connected to the internet or use some form of technology related to computing.
The digital photo frames, refrigerators and microwave ovens that are being remotely operated by many in the developed world and even mobile phones that have the browsing feature are prone to malware attacks, security experts feel.
“The non-PC security is a growing concern now. In fact, it is a big opportunity for all the security companies. It is a fact that the attackers do take control of an equipment only when they can make some money from such an act. But, take the case of digital photo frames. The family photos become tradable commodity for the attackers. Though this threat is still at a nascent stage, it is certainly coming,” Joe Pasqua, chief of R&D at Symantec, told DNA.
Security experts agree that there is no way the attackers can target a device that does not get them some valuable information that can be sold in the underground economy.
But, the onset of smart homes in most parts of the world and the urge of users to connect everything to their system to control the equipment remotely are increasingly making the non-PC devices prone to attacks.
“We are currently working on suitable solutions for non-PC devices. It is not an immediate opportunity, but it is something that is a certain possibility. To begin with, we are focusing on mobile security, which is also a part of the non-PC security segment,” Mark Bergman, chief technology officer of Symantec, said.
Mobile security is emerging as a major opportunity for global security companies including Symantec and Kaspersky as mobile users store large amounts of data on the handsets.
The increased usage of mobile for mailing, storing critical information including bank account numbers, credit card details and social security numbers in addition to telephone numbers is attracting attackers to mobile devices first.
“It is a growing market. Mobile is an immediate market and all other devices are certain to come on the radar at a later date. The new smart phones that allow internet access are immediate targets. It’s not scary at this point, but it is an opportunity for attackers. There is no immediate data available at this point, but the mobile attacks are already on in a sporadic way,” another project head of a security company in Hyderabad said.
According to him, the primary hurdle for the attackers in targeting devices like mobiles is the size of the malware code. “Shorter codes to suit the mobile memory are not really capable of creating havoc like in PCs. But, the attackers have proved to be intelligent and the risk is potential at this point,” he said.
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