Is your information safe on your smart phone? Published Oct. 26, 2011 By Angela Vasser Information Protection Chief GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The advanced technology available with mobile phones, aka smart phones, today is incredible. However, these complexities and sophistications come with an added risk for our personal and financial information being divulged. The risk posed by smart phones is even greater than that of computer viruses, according to an article by Eric Bland of Discovery News. For educational purposes, scientists from Rutgers University created a special software program that allowed for hidden access to a smart phone, allowing them to remotely turn on the microphone, GPS and battery without a user's knowledge. The problem occurs when that type of program, called a rootkit, is used as malicious software. The ability for someone to activate your smart phone's microphone without you knowing it poses a risk to national security. It can be a severe infringement on your privacy, allowing someone to eavesdrop on nearby unclassified and classified conversations. The rootkit can also send the smart phone's location, using the GPS system, allowing someone to track the phone and the person using it anywhere. Finally, it could be used to drain the phone's battery by activating power-hungry hardware like the GPS receiver and the Bluetooth. All this can occur without you, the phone's owner, ever realizing anything. So how can you keep your personal information and your smart phone safe from these vulnerabilities? Download antivirus Software Be cautious of applications Don't leave phone unattended Password protect phone Set up remote wipe to remotely clear all data (e-mail, contacts, texts, and documents) if phone becomes lost or stolen. For Android, Blackberry, and Windows Phone 7 you can find many great third-party applications that allow you to remotely wipe your phone, such as Lookout Mobile Security. For iOS 4.2 or higher, you can download the Find My Phone app from the App Store, and enable it in MobileMe in the Settings app. Then you can log in using MobileMe via Apples website to track your phone. Unfortunately, older iOS versions will have to purchase a MobileMe account.