Official Mobile Security & Innovative Technologies Blog
This blog is managed/edited by Eric Everson. The purpose of this blog is to discuss common threats and solutions that exist within the mobile community in addition to the intricacies of innovative technologies and the markets therein.
Thank you for taking the time to review my blog; I am Eric Everson the founder of MyMobiSafe.com. In addition to my duties at MyMobiSafe, LLC I am also a full-time graduate student and mobile industry researcher. As a mobile security expert and innovative technologies leader, I am glad to answer any questions you may have: EricEverson@Hotmail.com
Thursday 30 July 2009, 4:43 PM
iPhone Security: Latest Hack Not So Scary
iPhone Security: Latest Hack Not So Scary
Author: Eric Everson, Founder MyMobiSafe.com
To read the headlines, one would think that the “hack of hacks” had emerged on the iPhone. While there are some vulnerabilities within the iPhone OS, this latest scare is not likely to affect the masses.
This attack wherein hundreds (and yes, that is an “s” on the end of hundreds) of SMS control messages must be sent to an individual handset, is a hack that is best demonstrated in a controlled environment. To this avail if any one of these hundreds of SMS messages is removed or otherwise deleted from the handset before all the commands are in place, this entire hack is defunct. This hack works very similarly to the old fashioned DoS (Denial of Service) hacks that have been around for decades, the primary point of differentiation is simply that this one takes place on the iPhone.
The likelihood of your iPhone being subjected to this labor intensive attack today is seemingly implausible. In all reality you are way more likely to destroy your iPhone by dropping it today than by losing it to this latest hack.
One of the more interesting pieces of tomorrow’s mobile security puzzle is embedded in the physical architecture of tomorrow’s handsets. Today, touch-screens are considered relatively new technology, thus they use the same power supply and “sand box” (the brain of the handset) as the rest of the handset. In turn this makes them way more susceptible to attacks as a hacker’s first target is to disable user control via attacking the touch-screen. Differentiating the core operating components for touch-screen technology is one way to keep mobile users in control of their handsets even under the worst attacks.
Naturally, as my work with iPhone security issues predates the 2007 launch of the iPhone, I’ve been getting many emails asking me about the threat level of this latest hack. Despite being one of the most popular handset brands in the media, the reality is that iPhone market share is just above 10% on a global basis. Compared to a smartphone manufacturer like Nokia which controls over 40% of the market, there are far fewer users on the iPhone.
Malicious hackers generally like to develop code that targets the broadest user base, so in reality with a suite of Nokia Mobile SDK’s (Software Development Kits) available, the Nokia community might be at greater risk for attack. Nokia phones despite their many security strengths are no less susceptible to the JavaMite movement that is becoming popularized throughout networks of malicious mobile hackers.
As “The MobileTech” I am keeping the mobile security industry honest! Feel free to continue emailing me with your mobile questions.
Your go-to guy in innovative tech,
Eric Everson
aka “The MobileTech”
Eric Everson is a leading mobile technologies researcher and is the founder of MyMobiSafe.com. If you would like to contact Eric Everson for interview or with research related inquiries contact him directly at EricEverson@Hotmail.com.
Author: Eric Everson, Founder MyMobiSafe.com
To read the headlines, one would think that the “hack of hacks” had emerged on the iPhone. While there are some vulnerabilities within the iPhone OS, this latest scare is not likely to affect the masses.
This attack wherein hundreds (and yes, that is an “s” on the end of hundreds) of SMS control messages must be sent to an individual handset, is a hack that is best demonstrated in a controlled environment. To this avail if any one of these hundreds of SMS messages is removed or otherwise deleted from the handset before all the commands are in place, this entire hack is defunct. This hack works very similarly to the old fashioned DoS (Denial of Service) hacks that have been around for decades, the primary point of differentiation is simply that this one takes place on the iPhone.
The likelihood of your iPhone being subjected to this labor intensive attack today is seemingly implausible. In all reality you are way more likely to destroy your iPhone by dropping it today than by losing it to this latest hack.
One of the more interesting pieces of tomorrow’s mobile security puzzle is embedded in the physical architecture of tomorrow’s handsets. Today, touch-screens are considered relatively new technology, thus they use the same power supply and “sand box” (the brain of the handset) as the rest of the handset. In turn this makes them way more susceptible to attacks as a hacker’s first target is to disable user control via attacking the touch-screen. Differentiating the core operating components for touch-screen technology is one way to keep mobile users in control of their handsets even under the worst attacks.
Naturally, as my work with iPhone security issues predates the 2007 launch of the iPhone, I’ve been getting many emails asking me about the threat level of this latest hack. Despite being one of the most popular handset brands in the media, the reality is that iPhone market share is just above 10% on a global basis. Compared to a smartphone manufacturer like Nokia which controls over 40% of the market, there are far fewer users on the iPhone.
Malicious hackers generally like to develop code that targets the broadest user base, so in reality with a suite of Nokia Mobile SDK’s (Software Development Kits) available, the Nokia community might be at greater risk for attack. Nokia phones despite their many security strengths are no less susceptible to the JavaMite movement that is becoming popularized throughout networks of malicious mobile hackers.
As “The MobileTech” I am keeping the mobile security industry honest! Feel free to continue emailing me with your mobile questions.
Your go-to guy in innovative tech,
Eric Everson
aka “The MobileTech”
Eric Everson is a leading mobile technologies researcher and is the founder of MyMobiSafe.com. If you would like to contact Eric Everson for interview or with research related inquiries contact him directly at EricEverson@Hotmail.com.
Sunday 5 July 2009, 7:42 PM
Behind the Scenes: Next Gen Mobile Technology
Behind the Scenes: Next Gen Mobile Technology
Author: Eric Everson, Founder MyMobiSafe.com
With infrastructure speeds continually improving at the network level of the world’s leading mobile telecommunications companies, the realities of “the third screen” are becoming more realistic. Today handsets capture and share video with ease which is something that seemed like a distant reality just five years ago.
Thinking back to the days of squinting to make out those fuzzy images that friends would send from their cell phones five years ago, today’s handsets are seemingly HD in contrast. The reality is that handsets are steadily becoming more sophisticated and capable while improvements remain continuous at the network level throughout the world. As the seemingly distant imagery of live rich media tantalizes us today, the reality is that such features may be much closer on the horizon than anticipated.
Two of the critical measures that must be put in place to fuel this digital expansion are mobile search engines and mobile distribution engines. As one could imagine companies like Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and the like are fiercely developing their offerings with respect to becoming the mobile search engines of choice. The other side of this coin however are mobile distribution engines, which from a mobile content provider’s perspective are the holy grail to next generation mobile content delivery. For me, this is an area that hits very close to home.
When we first got started developing our products at MyMobiSafe.com, one thing we realized was that if we wanted to develop a mobile security software for all cell phone users, we had to have a delivery infrastructure in place that was up to the task. The problem was that in 2005 when we were knee deep in R&D, there wasn’t a turnkey solution already available for us to employ. Thus we developed what is now the patent-pending MyMobiSafe Distribution Engine which remains on the cutting edge of next generation mobile distribution engines. Imagine for a moment being able to load content into a single platform and with the click of a button delivery that very content to every cell phone customer in the world simultaneously. That’s the door of innovative technology that we are knocking on today.
People tend to conjoin the realm of mobile search with that of computer-based search, which as a company like Microsoft can attest (relative to the OS environment) can be a critical miscalculation. As the sophistication of mobile devices continues to improve and data-driven components become increasingly saturated throughout the market, mobile search is an emerging market where nobody can afford to let their guard down. Just as we have taken an engine once designed exclusively to distribute mobile security software and have tailored it to meet the mass market distribution needs of tomorrow’s market, so must the existing technologies of those already in mobile search also evolve.
As handsets become “the third screen” (a phrase popularized by Gary Forsee the former CEO of Sprint-Nextel) the future of search will remain at the forefront of innovative development. We expect to see a lot of acquisition and all around development in this area as the future of mobile search remains an emerging market of abundant opportunity. Just as small companies like mine have invested in this market, the reality remains that the future of mobile search is anyone’s game. As so much energy is being thrust behind the scenes relevant to driving the future of mobile search, it is the entire mobile community that stands to gain the most. As only the future can foretell, who will emerge as the global leader in mobile search?
Your go-to guy in innovative tech,
- Eric E: aka The MobileTech
Eric Everson is a leading mobile technologies researcher and is the founder of MyMobiSafe.com. If you would like to contact Eric Everson for interview or with research related inquiries contact him directly at EricEverson@Hotmail.com.
Author: Eric Everson, Founder MyMobiSafe.com
With infrastructure speeds continually improving at the network level of the world’s leading mobile telecommunications companies, the realities of “the third screen” are becoming more realistic. Today handsets capture and share video with ease which is something that seemed like a distant reality just five years ago.
Thinking back to the days of squinting to make out those fuzzy images that friends would send from their cell phones five years ago, today’s handsets are seemingly HD in contrast. The reality is that handsets are steadily becoming more sophisticated and capable while improvements remain continuous at the network level throughout the world. As the seemingly distant imagery of live rich media tantalizes us today, the reality is that such features may be much closer on the horizon than anticipated.
Two of the critical measures that must be put in place to fuel this digital expansion are mobile search engines and mobile distribution engines. As one could imagine companies like Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and the like are fiercely developing their offerings with respect to becoming the mobile search engines of choice. The other side of this coin however are mobile distribution engines, which from a mobile content provider’s perspective are the holy grail to next generation mobile content delivery. For me, this is an area that hits very close to home.
When we first got started developing our products at MyMobiSafe.com, one thing we realized was that if we wanted to develop a mobile security software for all cell phone users, we had to have a delivery infrastructure in place that was up to the task. The problem was that in 2005 when we were knee deep in R&D, there wasn’t a turnkey solution already available for us to employ. Thus we developed what is now the patent-pending MyMobiSafe Distribution Engine which remains on the cutting edge of next generation mobile distribution engines. Imagine for a moment being able to load content into a single platform and with the click of a button delivery that very content to every cell phone customer in the world simultaneously. That’s the door of innovative technology that we are knocking on today.
People tend to conjoin the realm of mobile search with that of computer-based search, which as a company like Microsoft can attest (relative to the OS environment) can be a critical miscalculation. As the sophistication of mobile devices continues to improve and data-driven components become increasingly saturated throughout the market, mobile search is an emerging market where nobody can afford to let their guard down. Just as we have taken an engine once designed exclusively to distribute mobile security software and have tailored it to meet the mass market distribution needs of tomorrow’s market, so must the existing technologies of those already in mobile search also evolve.
As handsets become “the third screen” (a phrase popularized by Gary Forsee the former CEO of Sprint-Nextel) the future of search will remain at the forefront of innovative development. We expect to see a lot of acquisition and all around development in this area as the future of mobile search remains an emerging market of abundant opportunity. Just as small companies like mine have invested in this market, the reality remains that the future of mobile search is anyone’s game. As so much energy is being thrust behind the scenes relevant to driving the future of mobile search, it is the entire mobile community that stands to gain the most. As only the future can foretell, who will emerge as the global leader in mobile search?
Your go-to guy in innovative tech,
- Eric E: aka The MobileTech
Eric Everson is a leading mobile technologies researcher and is the founder of MyMobiSafe.com. If you would like to contact Eric Everson for interview or with research related inquiries contact him directly at EricEverson@Hotmail.com.
Wednesday 17 June 2009, 8:47 PM
Small Business: Is Your Company Biker Friendly?
Small Business: Is Your Company Biker Friendly?
Author: Eric Everson
It’s that time of year again when motorcycles are out in full force. Whether you’re in the U.S. or the U.K. bikers are enjoying the warm weather after a long winter pause. For entrepreneurs and business managers alike, making concessions for motorcycle riders can greatly improve your business.
Though I am the innovative technologies blogger “Mobile Tech” my other great passion is motorcycling. Motorcycles have been a driving force in my life for as long as I can remember. All of my life, everything else stands still around me when a motorcycle comes into view. I’ve recently learned to harness my moto-obesssion in the form of BikerAwareness.com, so I’m staying professionally connected to what I love.
As a motorcycle rider I’ve seen an increasing number of businesses begin to recognize the buying power of the riding community. The reality is that the old U.S. Motorcycle Safety Foundation adage is actually true, “Motorcycles are Everywhere.” While this means you should look for us on the road, you might also do your small business a world of good by catering to us too. Recently I’ve seen parking roped off or especially designated for motorcycles in some very interesting places. From mega-malls to Main Street, businesses are making it easier for motorcyclists to access their businesses.
The good news is though the term “biker” often conjures up negative rough-and-tumble images, that perception is rarely the reality. In fact bikers are some of the nicest and most generous people you’re likely to meet. Add to that, bikers are a very tight knit community so when we find a local business that caters to us we’re quick to spread the word. If your small business could use a summer boost and you’re looking for a good way to differentiate from your competitive market, perhaps it’s time to consider that “Bikers Welcome” signage.
While I’ve got your attention, remember to look twice for motorcycles! If we could all get just one person to look twice for bikes, we could make a world of difference to preserve biker lives!
Cheers,
Eric Everson – aka: The Mobile Tech
Author: Eric Everson
It’s that time of year again when motorcycles are out in full force. Whether you’re in the U.S. or the U.K. bikers are enjoying the warm weather after a long winter pause. For entrepreneurs and business managers alike, making concessions for motorcycle riders can greatly improve your business.
Though I am the innovative technologies blogger “Mobile Tech” my other great passion is motorcycling. Motorcycles have been a driving force in my life for as long as I can remember. All of my life, everything else stands still around me when a motorcycle comes into view. I’ve recently learned to harness my moto-obesssion in the form of BikerAwareness.com, so I’m staying professionally connected to what I love.
As a motorcycle rider I’ve seen an increasing number of businesses begin to recognize the buying power of the riding community. The reality is that the old U.S. Motorcycle Safety Foundation adage is actually true, “Motorcycles are Everywhere.” While this means you should look for us on the road, you might also do your small business a world of good by catering to us too. Recently I’ve seen parking roped off or especially designated for motorcycles in some very interesting places. From mega-malls to Main Street, businesses are making it easier for motorcyclists to access their businesses.
The good news is though the term “biker” often conjures up negative rough-and-tumble images, that perception is rarely the reality. In fact bikers are some of the nicest and most generous people you’re likely to meet. Add to that, bikers are a very tight knit community so when we find a local business that caters to us we’re quick to spread the word. If your small business could use a summer boost and you’re looking for a good way to differentiate from your competitive market, perhaps it’s time to consider that “Bikers Welcome” signage.
While I’ve got your attention, remember to look twice for motorcycles! If we could all get just one person to look twice for bikes, we could make a world of difference to preserve biker lives!
Cheers,
Eric Everson – aka: The Mobile Tech
Monday 1 June 2009, 5:52 AM
Small Business: Project Driven Leadership
Small Business: Project Driven Leadership
Author: Eric Everson, Founder MyMobiSafe.com
With the pressures of the economy weighting down on small business owners throughout the world, now is the time to implement business practices that promote success. As a small business owner myself and having worked with entrepreneurs for many years, there are many misconceptions that I’ve seen come to surface. One of the biggest misconceptions is that many small business owners often dismiss project management as a big business luxury rather than a tool for leveraging their own success.
As the founder of MyMobiSafe.com I know where you’re standing as a small business owner. You’re not looking to hire a six-figure salary seeking, PMP Certified, bells and whistles project team, but you are probably looking for an approach that will help you better manage your company through these hard times. For this I suggest a project-driven leadership (PDL) approach.
In a nutshell, a viable PDL approach simply pulls the best practices from the project management catalogue and tailors them to meet your small business needs. What a PDL approach recognizes is that the milestones of small business can be met through one project at a time. This may be a project as extensive as introducing a new product or may be as simple as changing the company logo. Borrowing from project management, a true PDL approach recognizes the definite beginning and end of each project within the context of the small business environment.
By nature projects are not processes, although some projects can be viewed as the sum of many unique processes. Implementing a PDL approach will allow you to utilize free project management tools such as OpenWorkbench to better track the resources, time, and cost of the projects you’re managing through your small business. Looking at your business objectives as an organized project can be a fun way to prioritize and bring a more formalized method of management into your small business. If you are new to project management, do yourself a favor and get the Project Management for Dummies book – despite the title, this is perhaps one of the best kept secret resources of corporate project managers the world over. You’ll want to learn the basics about project management before your go and transform your small business into a powerhouse Project Management Office!
With the weight of the world on your shoulders as an entrepreneur, adopting a PDL approach might be exactly what your business needs to take it to the next level. Project management isn’t reserved for big business, it’s a resource that any business owner can put to work – often for relatively no additional investment!
Your go-to guy in innovative tech,
- Eric E: aka The MobileTech
Eric Everson is a leading mobile technologies researcher and is the founder of MyMobiSafe.com. If you would like to contact Eric Everson for interview or with research related inquiries contact him directly at EricEverson@Hotmail.com.
Author: Eric Everson, Founder MyMobiSafe.com
With the pressures of the economy weighting down on small business owners throughout the world, now is the time to implement business practices that promote success. As a small business owner myself and having worked with entrepreneurs for many years, there are many misconceptions that I’ve seen come to surface. One of the biggest misconceptions is that many small business owners often dismiss project management as a big business luxury rather than a tool for leveraging their own success.
As the founder of MyMobiSafe.com I know where you’re standing as a small business owner. You’re not looking to hire a six-figure salary seeking, PMP Certified, bells and whistles project team, but you are probably looking for an approach that will help you better manage your company through these hard times. For this I suggest a project-driven leadership (PDL) approach.
In a nutshell, a viable PDL approach simply pulls the best practices from the project management catalogue and tailors them to meet your small business needs. What a PDL approach recognizes is that the milestones of small business can be met through one project at a time. This may be a project as extensive as introducing a new product or may be as simple as changing the company logo. Borrowing from project management, a true PDL approach recognizes the definite beginning and end of each project within the context of the small business environment.
By nature projects are not processes, although some projects can be viewed as the sum of many unique processes. Implementing a PDL approach will allow you to utilize free project management tools such as OpenWorkbench to better track the resources, time, and cost of the projects you’re managing through your small business. Looking at your business objectives as an organized project can be a fun way to prioritize and bring a more formalized method of management into your small business. If you are new to project management, do yourself a favor and get the Project Management for Dummies book – despite the title, this is perhaps one of the best kept secret resources of corporate project managers the world over. You’ll want to learn the basics about project management before your go and transform your small business into a powerhouse Project Management Office!
With the weight of the world on your shoulders as an entrepreneur, adopting a PDL approach might be exactly what your business needs to take it to the next level. Project management isn’t reserved for big business, it’s a resource that any business owner can put to work – often for relatively no additional investment!
Your go-to guy in innovative tech,
- Eric E: aka The MobileTech
Eric Everson is a leading mobile technologies researcher and is the founder of MyMobiSafe.com. If you would like to contact Eric Everson for interview or with research related inquiries contact him directly at EricEverson@Hotmail.com.
Wednesday 13 May 2009, 8:33 PM
Windows 7: Paint a Lemon and Call it Innovation?
Windows 7: Paint a Lemon and Call it Innovation?
Author: Eric Everson
In the automotive industry junk cars are dubbed lemons; these are the junkers that shady auto dealers repaint and polish just to make the cars more attractive to unsuspecting car buyers. So you’ve got to be asking why is a company like Microsoft (a company historically championed for their innovation) being compared to a shady auto dealer. In a nutshell, as you start to actually listen to the tech savvy experts of the world, you too will also begin to uncover that the new Windows 7 platform is surprisingly like the painted lemon you try to avoid when buying a car.
I have to admit, I really do have high expectations for Microsoft so it just makes me shake my head in disappointment to see yet another rush-job pushed prematurely into the software market. Like so many other software gurus, I have to admit that I too was secretly hanging on to the notion that the release of Windows 7 would right all (or at least most) of the wrongs that Vista introduced. As it seems if you were disappointed with Vista (arguably the worst blunder in Microsoft history) then I’m sure you’ll feel the woes of Windows 7 too.
With my intimate history of marketing innovative technologies, I have to say that tying the Windows brand to what is seemingly another junk version of Vista could be detrimental to Microsoft. Unfortunately, this is exactly what the executive powers at Microsoft have done. To make matters worse as many analysts have already noted, Windows 7 in many cases does not even incorporate the fixes that have been worked into Vista. Can anyone else see the buzzards starting to circle in the sky above?
Like I said, I have high expectations for Microsoft so this whole repackaging Vista as an innovative new “Windows 7” is a real let down. With companies like Google gaining traction hard and fast in the Operating System (OS) sector, I believe it’s time for Microsoft to revisit their roots of innovation. Surely the talent hasn’t all jumped ship, but from the looks of things an infusion of new blood might be exactly what Microsoft needs to regain its innovative capital. As it seems today, the stage of the OS sector is being set for a serious shake up.
It’s hard to say it better than InfoWorld’s Randall Kennedy as he noted, “Bottom line: So far, Windows 7 looks, behaves, and performs almost exactly like Windows Vista. And it breaks all sorts of things that used to work just fine under Vista. In other words, Microsoft's follow-up to its most unpopular OS release since Windows Me threatens to deliver zero measurable performance benefits while introducing new and potentially crippling compatibility issues.” Is Windows 7 just a painted lemon under the cloak of innovation?
Your go-to guy in innovative tech,
-Eric E: aka The MobileTech
Good Reading by Randall Kennedy: http://www.pcworld.com/article/153624/under_the_hood_windows_7_is_vistas_twin.html
Eric Everson is a leading mobile technologies researcher and is the founder of MyMobiSafe.com. If you would like to contact Eric Everson for interview or with research related inquiries contact him directly at EricEverson@Hotmail.com.
Author: Eric Everson
In the automotive industry junk cars are dubbed lemons; these are the junkers that shady auto dealers repaint and polish just to make the cars more attractive to unsuspecting car buyers. So you’ve got to be asking why is a company like Microsoft (a company historically championed for their innovation) being compared to a shady auto dealer. In a nutshell, as you start to actually listen to the tech savvy experts of the world, you too will also begin to uncover that the new Windows 7 platform is surprisingly like the painted lemon you try to avoid when buying a car.
I have to admit, I really do have high expectations for Microsoft so it just makes me shake my head in disappointment to see yet another rush-job pushed prematurely into the software market. Like so many other software gurus, I have to admit that I too was secretly hanging on to the notion that the release of Windows 7 would right all (or at least most) of the wrongs that Vista introduced. As it seems if you were disappointed with Vista (arguably the worst blunder in Microsoft history) then I’m sure you’ll feel the woes of Windows 7 too.
With my intimate history of marketing innovative technologies, I have to say that tying the Windows brand to what is seemingly another junk version of Vista could be detrimental to Microsoft. Unfortunately, this is exactly what the executive powers at Microsoft have done. To make matters worse as many analysts have already noted, Windows 7 in many cases does not even incorporate the fixes that have been worked into Vista. Can anyone else see the buzzards starting to circle in the sky above?
Like I said, I have high expectations for Microsoft so this whole repackaging Vista as an innovative new “Windows 7” is a real let down. With companies like Google gaining traction hard and fast in the Operating System (OS) sector, I believe it’s time for Microsoft to revisit their roots of innovation. Surely the talent hasn’t all jumped ship, but from the looks of things an infusion of new blood might be exactly what Microsoft needs to regain its innovative capital. As it seems today, the stage of the OS sector is being set for a serious shake up.
It’s hard to say it better than InfoWorld’s Randall Kennedy as he noted, “Bottom line: So far, Windows 7 looks, behaves, and performs almost exactly like Windows Vista. And it breaks all sorts of things that used to work just fine under Vista. In other words, Microsoft's follow-up to its most unpopular OS release since Windows Me threatens to deliver zero measurable performance benefits while introducing new and potentially crippling compatibility issues.” Is Windows 7 just a painted lemon under the cloak of innovation?
Your go-to guy in innovative tech,
-Eric E: aka The MobileTech
Good Reading by Randall Kennedy: http://www.pcworld.com/article/153624/under_the_hood_windows_7_is_vistas_twin.html
Eric Everson is a leading mobile technologies researcher and is the founder of MyMobiSafe.com. If you would like to contact Eric Everson for interview or with research related inquiries contact him directly at EricEverson@Hotmail.com.
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