ITEM: Smartphones and tablets have become powerful enough computing platforms to be used for distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against corporate websites.
That’s according to Al Pascual, an analyst Javelin Strategy & Research, who says that while no one has yet managed to actually launch a DDoS attack from mobile devices, it’s only a matter of time, thanks partly to better device capabilities, faster connections and – more to the point – comparatively lax security measures for mobile devices.
A recent Javelin survey found that less than a third of mobile devices in the US had security software, which meant more than 102 million devices were unprotected.
Android is particularly vulnerable because of the many online stores distributing apps for the platform.
Potentially complicating things in terms of securing those smart devices is the variety of mobile OSs and device types out there.
Recently, security firm Trend Micro warned that different operating platforms, interfaces and security systems will make it more difficult to manage potential attacks, according to Network World Asia:
Trend Micro explains that in yesterday’s more uniform computing environment, it was relatively easy to educate users because fewer device types were in use. The same basic advice worked for everyone. “Not in 2013. Today, each device, each mobile platform requires a different approach to security.”