For Immediate Release

Cell Phone Attack: It Happened To Paris Hilton, It Can Happen To You Too

Some tips to protect yourself and your information

Baltimore, MD February 23, 2005 — The hacking incident, reported this week by USA Today, CNNMoney.com, Computerworld.com and others, of the T-Mobile Sidekick owned by socialite Paris Hilton is a prime example of the increasing risks associated with today’s mobile devices. In addition to access to the phone number directory, the hacker in this case was able to view data and photos, and copy and distribute the information across the internet.

Paris Hilton’s well publicized incident draws attention to a serious but often neglected threat: unauthorized viewing, and in this case distribution, of personal or sensitive data on mobile devices. Indeed this threat has been around for a while and continues to grow. Last month a major cellular provider admitted that their network was compromised and approximately 400 user names and social security numbers were accessed. An emerging threat is the introduction of malicious code or viruses on mobile devices and networks. Most recently a virus named “Cabir” was identified, which spreads over and infects smart phones, rendering them useless.

Protecting a mobile device requires protection on multiple levels. For an individual, access to on-device data can be protected by the using a PIN code and promptly reporting a lost or stolen device to the cellular carrier. PIN capability is standard on the majority of handheld devices however most users fail to take advangtage of this feature. The PIN protection should always be on, and users should be very selective about the data they store and carry on their mobile devices.

Data which should not be stored on the device include:

• Credit card account numbers
• Bank account numbers
• PIN codes for any account
• Personal identification information including social security number
• Sensitve personal information such as health records
• Proprietary or sensitive business information

For the enterprise, Bluefire Security Technologies recommends that they define a centralized handheld security policy, enforce power-on passwords, encrypt sensitive data, monitor for handheld intrusions, deploy a firewall, use encrypted VPN tunnels to access data stored on corporate servers and employ a virus scanner. Bluefire delivers a fully integrated solution that meets all of these requirements: the Bluefire Mobile Security® Suite.