Last June, computer security experts intercepted Timo fonica, a virus similar to the Love Letter virus designed to attack cell phones with text capabilities. And in September, security experts warned of the Liberty Crack virus, a PalmPilot Trojan horse disguised as a Game Boy emulator that deleted files. For one thing, whereas PC-based applications can be secured using strong authentication and encryption, developers must work with wireless devices' limited memory, which makes the use of strong authentication and encryption difficult. At the same time, wireless developers must be able to support the multiple protocols used by devices such as mobile phones and handhelds. Each has its own built-in security features, some stronger than others.
Wireless developers have a unique authentication challenge.
Because wireless devices such as cell phones and PDAs are small and highly mobile, they are easily and frequently stolen. That means user authentication is critical for secure m-commerce. Unfortunately, experts say, many current wireless protocols come up short on authentication. Web Hosting Help your business thrive on the Web. ZDNet and ZDNet logo are registered trademarks of ZD Inc. Content originally published in Ziff Davis Media publications is the copyrighted property of Ziff Davis Media.