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The growing proliferation of mobile devices, and their usage have made it
easier for hackers and miscreants to get access to sensitive information. With
the security of these devices posing to be a major concern, McAfee promises to
deliver proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems and
networks around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet,
browse and shop the web more securely. Kartik Shahani, regional director, McAfee
India talks about the companys offerings and services in an interview with
Dataquest.
With phones being increasingly used to send and receive mails, the
corporate database ends up being at stake. As mobile devices, especially phones,
do not have the kind of anti-virus security, PCs have. Has McAfee come up with
any security solution to tackle this?
As long as the gateway is protected, this does not pose to be a threat.
Mobile devices are usually only used to send and receive mail, and have nothing
to do with the corporate network. Even if you are using a mobile device, the
mail will still have to pass through the corporate server area. And as long as
this network is protected, the database is secure.
Does this mean that mobile devices dont need anti-virus protection?
No, viruses can enter your system in other ways, especially through
activities like downloading. For example, when infected music files and images
are downloaded, and then you connect your phone to the corporate network it can
cause problems.
A user may have important information on his handset like bank details which
if hacked will be harmful. Loss of information is a major problem that users
face. There are a number of ways hackers work. They can get the details of your
address book contacts and send messages to them which results in you having an
inflated phone bill. They can also use your phone to download infected files,
which will then get transferred to your PC, when you connect your phone to the
computer.
There has been a rise in Bluejacking which refers to the hacking of
mobile devices via Bluetooth. Has McAfee come up with any security solution to
take care of this?
Of course, the users have to take precautions. We have an offering called
McAfee Mobile Agent which scans new files on your handset, and checks if they
are malicious or not. So, if someone wants to inject a malicious file, it will
be scanned. That is the limit to what McAfee can do. Beyond that, it is up to
the users to be careful and ensure that the Bluetooth gateway is not left open
when not in use.
What happens when the mobile or laptop is misplaced or stolen? Having the
device in hand, makes the job easier for hackers. Does McAfee have an offering
to counter this?
We have a product called McAfee Encryption, for which we have both a PC and
a mobile version. All the data will be encrypted and access to the data will
require a username and a password.
In a corporate network, if you lose your phone, you contact your
administrator who will block access to the device. The hacker will require a
username and a password, and even if he cracks them, there will be another level
of authenticity verification comprising a public and private key. These keys
will be encrypted, and unless the person has the keys, he will not be able to
access the data. To a hacker who does not have the keys, the data will look like
special characters.
With mobile advertising bound to rise in the next few years, it will
become hard for users to distinguish between legitimate mobile ads and spam
attacks. Does McAfee have a strategy to counter this?
It is the operators and not the users who will have to take precautions
against this. SMSes come through the air, through the operators gateway. The
service provider will need to have an anti-spam solution service. McAfee does
have tie-ups with operators to provide such services. The operator will provide
this like any other service which the subscribers pay for. However, there is no
demand for this in India, yet.
New technologies have often paved the way for new forms of hacking and
other illegal activities. Has McAfee considered a counter to this extremely
dangerous threat?
This is definitely a looming issue with a large number of cars being stolen
with the help of GPS applications. However, McAfee still hasnt ventured into
this field.
What is the market potential for security solution providers? What does
McAfee foresee in its future?
The market potential depends on the country. In Japan, for example, around
20 mn phones work with McAfee agent, which is almost the entire customer base.
McAfee agent is available as an embedded service with NTT DOCOMO, a Japanese
operator. Hence, all customers who subscribe to NTT DOCOMO, can avail McAfee
agent by default.
In India, most people do not have adequate anti-virus protection on their
mobile devices. It is only when people start getting affected, will the demand
for protection rise. The situation is similar to what happened when PCs first
entered the market. In the beginning, there was not much demand for anti-virus
protection. But when more people started getting affected, and as viruses became
more complex and malicious, the demand for security products rose. The situation
right now is that of a disaster in the making. One can do without a laptop or a
PC for a few hours, but doing without a phone becomes difficult, as life almost
comes to a standstill. Smartphones and other phones with memory capabilities are
those which will be severely affected in the case of loss of information due to
viruses or bugs, and these phones comprise about 40% of telecom users.
The demand for protection on handsets is almost negligible in India. We at
McAfee do not differentiate between laptops and desktops. We provide the same
security for both. It is impossible for us to know if a user is using our
protection on a laptop or a notebook, once they are connected to the Internet.
However, handsets are connected through an operator, and so, it is possible for
us to sift out our revenue stream from handsets compared to PCs. And so far, we
have not received order from any operator in India.
However, with phones and other mobile devices becoming more smart, there is
going to be a rise in the incidence of hacking, viruses and other security
threats. Soon, everyone will be demanding protection.
Vandana Sebastian
vandanase@cybermedia.co.in
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