Why porn is harmful to your mobile phone
Porn sites are the No. 1 security threat to your mobile phone, a study shows.
Last year, of every 100 connections between phones and dubious sites, 36 of them were to porn sites, SMB World said, citing a report from network security firm Blue Coat.
The ratio has gone up sharply, from 22 percent in 2013.
Making a visit to such sites will expose your phone to the risk of being hijacked.
Typical blackmailing software will lock the files stored on a mobile phone and demand that the owner pay a ransom.
Otherwise, the owner won’t be able to open the music, photo, video or other files on the phone.
The incidence of such blackmail is increasing, and internet criminals are making it harder for owners to trace them, by insisting on payment method such as bitcoin.
They may also demand ransom payments with a tight time limit, Hugh Thompson, a senior executive of Blue Coat, was quoted as saying.
Financial loss is not the only risk, the report said.
Hackers can also implant spy software on your mobile phone and collect all sorts of personal data. And it’s difficult to identify what kind of data is leaked out.
With the use of smartphones expanding all the time, including for mobile payments, ignoring internet security isn't a good idea.
Telecom carriers and phone makers are no doubt going to come up with stronger protection against such invaders, but it may take time for that to happen.
In the meantime, the best thing is to take good care of your phone and avoid high-risk sites as well as suspicious mobile ads.
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