I. Mobile Terminal Security Threat Factors
(I) Application Programs
Applications in mobile terminals often become the preferred targets of malicious attackers because of their low attack level requirements.
(1) Mobile spy applications.
"Spyware" hides itself within the user's visual range, loads onto the user's device, steals the user's text messages, website browsing history, call logs, location information, etc., and maintains eavesdropping and surveillance on the user. The stolen data is transmitted to a remote server in a way that the user is not aware of." Spyware" can even monitor the environment of the device and avoid detection by self-destructing. Some "spyware", such as the FinFisher spyware program recently identified by security experts, is capable of stealing a user's personal data from specific applications (WeChat, Facebook and some major foreign social networking programs).
(2) Banking malicious apps.
Some banking malware can infiltrate device terminals in the form of Trojan horses and wait for opportunities to steal users' sensitive banking information in a phishing-like manner. Today, the changes in mobile payments bring even greater potential risks to users. Powerful mobile devices enable users to conduct financial activities anytime, anywhere, a change that has somehow further attracted a new breed of malicious apps dedicated to stealing transaction information and e-money.
(3) Phased-out applications.
Software updates generally repair the security vulnerabilities of the current version, relative to the latest version of the application, the old version of the application has been released for a long time, its own security vulnerabilities will be discovered by malicious attackers, malicious attackers will take advantage of the security holes in the old version, the users still use the old version of the attack, so that the user's privacy and the application of the data security by the a great threat to users' privacy and the data security of the application.
(2) Operating system platform
Applications in mobile terminals do not have the ability to invoke the hardware level, and the applications all need to use the API interface provided by the operating system to use the physical resources of the terminal, and the application developers use the open API interface to develop the applications and use the application store to release the developed applications, and the users download and use them through the application store. If some sensitive APIs (e.g., camera, location, etc.) are maliciously utilized by developers, it will bring about security issues such as privacy theft, remote control, etc. Android OS, based on its open source nature of the code, makes it possible to proactively discover some potential security holes in a timely manner, but its open app distribution model allows users to install apps from sources other than the official app market.
Android developers need only the developer's signature to develop an app, compared to apps developed on the iOS platform, which require not only the developer's signature, but also the signature of Apple's servers, and to get Apple's official signature, there must be a two-month vetting period, and the AppStore will also limit the number of new apps on the app weekly. As a result, the apps that iOS provides to users are scrutinized, and compared to Android's mechanism, iOS will seem more orderly and secure.
II. Countermeasures against security threats to mobile terminals
(I) Always use trusted data networks
Trusted networks for mobile terminals include data networks of wireless service providers as well as Wi-Fi connections provided by companies, homes and trusted locations. This ensures that the networks used for data transmission are free of security threats and cannot be used by attackers to access the sensitive data being transmitted. It is much easier to implement setup and manage fake Wi-Fi connection points than it is to implement fake cellular data connections. Therefore, using a cellular data connection provided by a wireless service provider can effectively reduce the risk of an attack.
(2) Use reliable methods to obtain apps
For the mobile devices we use, the operating system of the device comes with its own app store, such as Apple's operating system platform with AppStore; Android operating system platforms are usually equipped with GooglePlay or some device providers develop their own app stores, such as Huawei's app market. For example, Huawei will come with Huawei App Market. Downloading apps using the device provider's own app store greatly enhances the security of the app's source.
(3) Give apps the least amount of access
When downloading and installing apps from the app market, make sure that you only give apps the least amount of access they need to run. If an app is asking for excessive permissions, users can choose not to install the app or mark the app as suspicious, and don't readily confirm the access permissions mentioned by the app.