There's a great interview up over at silicon.com with Kimmo Alkio, the CEO of F-Secure. F-Secure is an anti-virus and security software company, and they are particularly known for their work in protecting mobile platforms like smartphones and PDAs. In the interview, Alkio talks about his rejoining with F-Secure after a hiatus, the increasing threat of malware versus plain jane viruses, DDoS attacks, mobile phone viruses and much more. I was very interested by his comment regarding the state of mobiles and the future of viruses and other malware on them:
The devices, particularly smart phones, are becoming used more like PCs. So with a little bit of predicting and visioning into the future, based on past experiences, I think there is a tremendous need to ensure there is mobile security in place.
Of course that is just following an obvious pattern, but it's a point that many don't think about often. Even cheap phones are becoming increasingly more complex, coming coupled with cameras, text messaging, internet browsing, email access, wifi support and so much more. The odds of them getting exploited exponentially rise with the more features they have and the more people that own them.
Alkio goes on to comment about Internet criminals and the increasing instances of Internet crime, especially as it relates to a more worldwide problem than a nation-specific problem. It is definitely worth a read.