Mobile VAS and security concerns

From playing games to reading news headlines, and from surfing the Internet to checking bank balance, value added services offered by service providers today have transformed the mere phone to a sophisticated device. With the advent of 3G, the usage of VAS is only going to increase. Apart from the benefits, this may also expose end users and mobile networks to greater security threats.

Among the fastest growing mobile market in the world, India has become the 5th country to have crossed the 100 million mark in subscriber base. Mobile phones are no more the mere communication tool of yesteryears. With a wide range of value added services offered by service providers today, they have actually become an extension of the persona of the user.

Although, both end users and service providers stand to gain from the increase in the usage of VAS but there are many security concerns that threaten this fastest growing telecom segments. There is still less awareness and commitment on the part of service providers to come up with concrete steps to tackle these concerns. This can be attributed to the fact that it is still an upcoming segment of the telecom industry.

Mobile virus is a security threat that most mobile users, operators, and handset producers are not aware of. This could be because the problem has been limited in scale so far. Mobile viruses can be disastrous for both network operators as well as end users. The first such mobile virus attack was recorded way back in 2005.

The probability of an attack has increased manifolds as users now increasing store sensitive information on their mobile devices. With mobile transactions gaining popularity in India, attacks such as phishing, pharming, and Trojan have also increased. Attack on data networks has also been witnessed over the past few years. 3G services will only make the scenario worst by opening up a wide range of opportunities for all those who will be the part of telecom network. Customers will have access to services such as data search, GPRS based services, including m-newspaper, mobile locater, picture downloads, Java enabled content and games, m-commerce etc. Along with the increased penetration of m-commerce it will also make it possible for unsocial elements to perform malicious activities in numerous ways. They may try and extort money from mobile operators by rendering the network unusable or acquire subscriber information with the aim to lay hands on their billing and credit card information. Today, subscribers are also confronted with the danger of someone taking control of their device using Bluetooth, which will give complete access to all their information.

It is important for all in the telecom system to wake up to these threats that are looming large over the horizon and take appropriate steps well in time. This will call for proper architecture and cooperation from the security ecosystem. It should be the priority for every enterprise to develop a core strategy to tackle this challenge while retaining the customer's trust.