Phone Security: Hardware vs. Software

As people, government agencies and businesses increasingly rely on Smartphones and mobile-based services, they become increasingly vulnerable to thieves and hackers. Data can be stolen, calls can be monitored, credit card numbers copied, confidential information intercepted, and countless charges billed to your phone, among other hazards.

Today’s Smartphones are essentially handheld computers – that users take with them everywhere. In this way, the risks that have become known in the PC realm are not only copied but exacerbated as users take their mobile phones with them far outside the confines of the corporation and its network. The types of malicious mobile security dangers and vulnerabilities are many, including:

Hacked voice messages and voice calls that have been accessed in real-time
Unauthorized charges and payments from malware that hacks into the user’s SMS and payments functions
Unauthorized network access
System modifications
Data access and theft; data leakage
Unsafe data storage, archival and transmission

Not surprisingly, users and businesses are turning to mobile security solutions to protect themselves against malware, viruses, spying, destruction and theft.

Mobile security tools protect devices against malware, viruses, theft and destruction, helping to prevent hackers from obtaining your passwords, credit card information and other confidential data, and protecting you from unauthorized charges. Data encryption can ensure that confidential data is safe guarded.

Not only must you consider mobile security solutions given today’s mobile computing reality, but also decide on the solution that offers the greatest security. Such a solution uses not only software, but hardware, to deliver the greatest protection.

Hardware solutions are more reliable, faster, and do not require too much of the mobile device’s resources.

With a mobile security hardware solution like TrustChip, secure voice calls and voice messages are delivered with greater efficiency, and with minimal battery drain on the device.

A hardware anchored solution offers superior encryption and greater security. Moreover, the hardware solution can support additional device types and applications.

Mobile security hardware can include a “security chip”, for example. With a security chip, an enterprise customer with multiple devices and device changes, for example, can swap in a new chip or remove the chip from one phone and put it into another. No downloading and updating necessary.

Another reason for hardware-based security is to meet government standards and sales/RPP requests. With a hardware-based mobile security solution, you are better able to secure government contracts for your device sales, for example.

While both hardware and software mobile security solutions offer protection, hardware beats software every time.

Glenn Schoonover