Mobile-phone handset complexity - the criminals friend.

In two related stories we have been told that one-in-four Brits own more than one mobile phone and that mobile phone manufacturers are not providing significant co-operation with law enforcement to help with unlocking data from suspected criminals handsets.

Firstly the multiple-mobile syndrome. This is a significant security risk. The ammount of data we now store on our devices is comprehensive (including passwords, account numbers, passport numbers, home addresses, family names, business contacts, childrens schools, client lists, appointments etc). How many of us can say that we fully wipe every old device (both phone and SIM) when we no longer need it? Does your company have a policy for dealing with this? Is it ok for your eployees to have business information on personal mobiles? When your provider upgrades your phone do you give the old one straight back? ....there are many questions to be answered. A final concern on phones is that the more phones you use the higher the risk that you suffer from a 'SpyPhone software' attack.

Secondly we are told that there is not sufficient co-operation in the UK by handset manufacturers to help law enforcement unlock mobile devices to retrieve potential evidence. It does seem a bit redicilious that the UK taxpayer is funding reverse engineering of code that is freely available from the manufacturers. Perhaps a little legislation here may be on order. At a minimum we need to prevent the completly annomious availability of Pay as You Go SIMS and phones.

more here..

and here...