Analysis: Make your handset safe for spending

WHILE the majority of computer users have antivirus software, only one in ten European smartphone users are using any form of protection.

So whilst mobile shopping is set to top £19 billion by 2021, we are leaving our phones open to infection.

So what’s the actual risk? I’ve not yet had a virus on my smartphone, however, the likelihood of catching one is increasing exponentially as smartphone sales eclipsed PC sales in late 2010. There’s also the fact that 70 per cent of us shelter sensitive data like bank details and medical records on our mobiles, according to security firm Juniper Networks.

With 61 per cent of smartphone infections attributed to spyware, that text message with your credit card details can be beamed globally in an instant. Mobile shopping isn’t really the threat. These malware nasties tend to be picked up via innocent downloads of hacked apps from places like Android Marketplace or via dodgy e-mail attachments or text messages.

It’s pretty easy to reduce your risk. Get some protection – AVG has a free security app you can download, or there’s paid-for mobile antivirus and security by companies like Kaspersky and MacAfee. Then get the basics right; only shop on a mobile site that uses SSL encryption – look for the little padlock; look at www.amazon.co.uk for a good example. Second, if you’re buying a piece of the Berlin wall from a retailer in Chechnya, use a recognised payment provider like Paypal or Worldpay. Your mobile has grown up – treat it like the supercomputer it is.