International Journal of Computer Theory and Engineering

Abstract

With the advent and rising popularity of wireless systems, there is a proliferation of small-enabled devices such as PDAs, mobile phones, etc. While these devices are becoming more and more preferable by all age groups, they also pose the threat of being vulnerable to malicious code (e.g.: viruses, trojans, worms, etc). In fact, the mobile devices rely on open and public transmission media. Besides, open platforms are becoming popular in smart phones. In this context, these devices have become more capable, providing users with all conveniences, ranging from traditional phone usage to supporting multiple features like e-mail access, playing games, software downloading and also e-banking. As the capabilities of these devices increase, the threat of malicious code (also called malware) targeting them also increased. It is believed that the evolution of mobile malware will take a similar direction as the PC malware. In this paper, we conducted a questionnaire based survey to know about the mobile device security concern among the users. The results indicate a high awareness but a low use of strong security measures. Then, we explore the various mobile phone vulnerabilities. A review of malicious code detection techniques for mobile devices are presented and discussed.