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PDA Security, the Next Big Hurdle for IT?
Jack writes "ITO published an article on a new secure PDA requested by the NSA. 'General Dynamics inked an $18 million contract with the secretive National Security Agency to design and develop a secure mobile personal assistant for defense workers. The PDA will integrate all types of communications including voice, data and web.'" In related news palmtops writes "Insecure Magazine has a great and in-depth article written by Seth Fogie, the VP of Airscanner.com, about Pocket PC security. His summary of PDA attacks states: 'These devices are easy to smuggle into a business and can be used to propagate an attack against network devices. Don't make the mistake of assuming is a PDA is a simple data keeper. As the cliche' goes... it is how you use it that matters.'"
to make companys bend over and grab the ankles for PocketPC AVs, Wouldnt surprise me a bit if the virus development for the various PDA platforms was unofficially sponsored by the big AV companies
Adjust an excisting MS/Linux/other PDA with the software required to enter the secure network, and rewrite some drivers to bring the software up to date with . the emerging (BUDGETOVERFLOW DETECTED) secure communications standards.
The only hardware change seems to be the Defense access card integration.
Somehow it feels like this device is going to cause a lot of embarrasment later when one gets in the wrong hands and breaks all the security at once.
My wife's sketchblog Blob[p]: Gastrono-me
The PDA will integrate all types of communications including voice, data and web
Riiight, so its sort of a SMARTPHONE then? Sure PDAs could be a threat, but its probably worth focusing more on something that everyone already has and which is has all this functionality already, as well as a digital camera etc.... the ubiquitous mobile phone.
Developing, and then requiring, a "secure" PDA for all your people and then being "suprised" when information leaks via their mobile phone with the 1GB Flashcard, 2 Mega-pixel camera and Broadband 3G connection doesn't sound like a plan for tomorrow.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
I think the biggest problem is every manufacturor makes his own synchronisation software running some weird propietary protocol. It feels like the good old days where you spent half a day setting up your dotmatrix in WP 2.1, and then restarted from zero in Lotus 123. Somebody should set some standards here. A PDA/Phone should be hardware abstracted at the OS level, just like a printer. And on corporate networks, the PC should just be a USB/Bluetooth -to-ethernet router, with the PDA authenticating directly to Exchange/Notes/whatever.
10 ?"Hello World" life was simple then
This makes a PDA sound like something its not and it links a sites physical/personel security to the PDA.
./ artical a while back showed that a guy stold a mainframe and he didn't use a PDA.
You can smuggle 1 GB of viral data into a facility in the roof of your mouth (SD Card) SD CARDS ARE THE NEXT THREAT TO WORLD SECURITY!!!
I think you get my point.
PDA's are computer, now a-days they are about the horse power of a full size computer 10 years ago. Thats all we need to know, and address the PHYSICAL and INFRASTRUCTURE security appropriatly for them.
The number 1 hacker method will always be social engineering. A
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