August 20, 2008

Android puts out call to mobile security gurus

Developers invite security experts to review Google's Android OS before the Linux mobile platform ships on mobile phones later this year

Developers of Android, the Linux mobile platform spearheaded by Google, are asking security experts for input.

The latest software development kit for Android was released earlier this week and plans are for the 1.0 version of the operating system to be shipped on mobile phones later this year .

[ See the related story Android SDK update arrives from Google at last. ]

Security is a priority. "As you may expect, building and maintaining a secure mobile platform is a difficult task," wrote the Android Security Team.

"While we have found and fixed many of our own bugs as well as flaws in other open-source projects, we realize that the discovery of additional security issues in a system this large and complex is inevitable," the team wrote, in a message on the Android security announcements section of the Google Groups site.

The invitation means the Android platform will likely get a thorough review from developers outside the Android Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of companies contributing to the platform's development.

Proponents of the open-source development model -- where code can be analyzed by anyone -- argue it results in more secure and stable products in contrast to proprietary software, where the master code is a closely guarded secret by software companies.

The Android Security Team wrote that it hopes security analysts will privately forward bugs since the operating system will eventually be deployed on many different devices that will "require a large amount of coordination to patch."

Mobile devices have not been afflicted by malicious software to the extent of desktop OSes, but experts have said they expect that to change.

Symbian's Series 60 OS was targeted in 2005 by Comwar, a worm that spread via Bluetooth and MMS (multimedia messaging service).

In 2006, researchers found the first for-profit mobile malware, called Redbrowser. When activated, the malware sent SMS (short message service) messages to a phone number that charges around $6 per message.

It targeted devices running the J2ME (Java 2 Mobile Edition) software, which is included on some 1 billion devices from vendors such as Nokia, Motorola and Research in Motion.

 

Close

On Twitter now

Security

Powered by Twitter

On Twitter now

White Paper

D2D Virtual Tape Library Replication Primer

This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.

Download now »

White Paper

An Alternative to Virtualization for Datacenter Cost Savings

Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.

Download now »

White Paper

Why Your Firewall, VPN, and IEEE 802.11i Aren't Enough to Protect Your Network

The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.

Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation

Download now »

White Paper

Bringing the Edge to the Data Center

Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.

Download now »

Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

Subscribe to the Security Central Newsletter

Stay informed of the latest security threats and fixes.

White paper

Log Management: How to Develop the Right Strategy for Business and Compliance

This white paper provides guidance on how to develop a strategic approach to managing and monitoring logs, a key function required for compliance with many regulatory mandates and a critical defense against security threats.

Download now! »

White paper

The Essential Series: Security Information Management

Learn about the processes and technologies that support security information management (SIM) operations, as well as the business case for SIM. The series examines different options for implementing SIM and gives you evaluation criteria for selecting the best option for your organization.

Download now! »

White paper

Aberdeen: Choosing and Consuming Managed Security Services

Learn the strategies, actions, and capabilities that Best-in-Class organizations employ and technologies they choose to obtain superior performance against various security performance metrics. This report provides guidelines for identifying which security solutions to consume as a MSS and defines best practices for choosing and managing MSSPs.

Download now! »
©1994-2009 Infoworld, Inc.