Why on earth would anyone want to own an iPhone with it having so many security issues? This subject keeps coming up. It amazes me that anyone who would be using an iPhone for any business reason would put their business ,and their client’s business, information at risk of being accessed.
Naturally, I, like a trillion other people in the world, am in need of a phone to use doing my business travel. Since my primary business has to do with social media I need a phone I can use to quickly stay in touch with, and communicate with, my constituency. Since I do represent a few people who deal with sensitive information I also have to keep them in mind when I go about do business. The very last thing I need is for someone to hack into my phone to retrieve any contact list or data I have stored that could like someone to my client’s information.
In asking my peers and colleagues on what communication device they use I was not surprised to see so many business people using iPhones. However, I was not surprised how many now feel they better think again what they are dong after checking the latest information on the security issues iPhone has overlooked.
I was asked told brow-beaten instructed by a client to read a few pages of the book 2010 Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide, Critical Decisions Made Simple, by Sharon Nelson, John Simek and Michael Maschke and was directed to pg 70 and 71 where the full report concerning smartphones was outlined. After reading the three known ways an iPhone can be hacked I was floored so many people would want to put even their favorite Tweets at risk.
“We absolutely DO NOT recommend that any attorney (or anybody wanting to keep their data secure) obtain an iPhone. Apple has made all kinds of marketing claims, yet there are many examples of why an iPhone shouldn’t be trusted. The PIN Keylock code is easily replaced by a “blank” code. The 3 GS model claims to store its data in encrypted form. This is true, but you can place the phone in recovery mode and transfer the data to your computer. Apple conveniently decrypts the data as it sends it over the SSH connection, thereby negating the encryption scheme. You can remotely wipe the iPhone, but it needs to be connected to the cellular network to do it, unlike the Blackberry and Windows Mobile phones. Finally, the recent OS 3.1 update breaks the iPhone’s ability to synchronize with Exchange 2007, which requires that on-device data be encrypted. The iPhone has been indicating to Exchange servers since July of 2008 saying that the on-device data is encrypted and it really isn’t. Thousands and thousands of users have been transferring data between the iPhone and Exchange in an insecure manner. We hope that Apple has fixed the multiple security problems with the iPhone by the time this book publishes, but we doubt it. It appears that security for the iPhone was an afterthought and is not inherent in the design.”
There still has not been any fixes made to any of these security breaches. A token patch was sent out but was just an attempt to show Apply is working on the issue. Many would argue the security problems cannot be fixed. Still millions use them and many with wreckless abandon.
Even with the recent warnings issued from the mobile phone industry and security monitoring businesses the iPhone’s popularity does not waver.
Many would look to these cracks in the iPhone’s image as “not really affecting them”. I would agree that unless the information stored on the iPhone is not of importance to you then that maybe true. However, gaining access to just a person’s email address can provide some corrupted person (place or thing) access to information they could use to hack into someone else database. Why would anyone, professional or not, want to put that kind of information at risk when there are other mobile communication devices on the market that do just as well as the iPhone but are much more secure. Has Apple’s marketing done that good of job selling a lemon? Obviously so!
Solutions
Going back to those hundreds of millions of business people who have a business reason to keep in touch with the world while they are on the move, are there any work around to this issue? I will wholeheartedly agree that the iPhone is COOL..ok, I got that out of thee way and I will add, I Want A iPhone..there I said it. there is some cool stuff the iPhone does that would make my life on the road a little..ok, A Lot..easier. However, to stay in business and on the road what are my solutions to getting an iPhone and not get fired by clients?
The logical solution would be to get an iPhone for the cool applications to play with and then get a serious second phone that I can use to access emails, download contracts and other sensitive documents related to business. Unfortunately, the logical solution is not in the budget nor of interest since that would take me back to the days when I had a Cellphone, PDA and a Pager strapped to me ala Batman utility belt.
Maybe Batman can swoop in on the R&D geeks at Apple and slap a few people around for allowing Mr Job’s to push out a product that is a little more secure than my garage door opener..which I am sure there is an iPhone app for. Looks like I will keep looking and I am sure I will find a more secure Smartphone I can use that is a little smarter than an iPhone. But I still want iPhone. Let me know how I can help.
