Is 3G scenario bringing security risks to the network

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Service providers need to be different in order to be successful in the 3G game and provide standard security applications that can cater to different security requirements of the enterprise as well as end user

Whether it is Bharti Airtel or Reliance, the incumbent operator BSNL or Idea Cellular, almost all the telecom service providers have got their 3G cards well placed in the Indian telecom game now. However, recent 3G advances in delivering true mobility have allowed millions to stay connected like never before through smart phones, tablets and cell phones. This is more than evident by the fact that global mobile data traffic increased 26 times from 2009 to 2010, nearly tripling for the third year in a row.
However, the success of the 3G scenario has also brought to the front some questions about security and privacy. Quite recently, the U.S. lawmakers invited Apple and Google to attend a hearing on privacy scheduled for next month. This follows claims that the location-tracking of iPhone and Android devices violated the privacy of owners.
Experts feel that most scammers have begun shifting their focus away from the Windows-based PCs to other mobility focused operating systems and platforms, including smart phones, tablet computers and mobile platforms. It is a well known fact that taking a cue from the last decade of vulnerabilities targeting PC operating systems, PC platform, application vendors have stacked up security in their products and have taken a more aggressive approach to patching vulnerabilities. This has prompted scammers to shift to trolling third-party mobile applications instead.
It is not easy to tap the old order phones, but in an all IP scenario, the actual communication is carried out by packets that are directed and sometimes re-directed by routers, and hence it is easier to tap them and provides more vulnerability to the network.
Observing that enterprises now have to support more devices than ever before and, in effect, extend their corporate firewalls and services to places for which they may not be prepared, global security vendor McAfee Labs presented an interesting report on the increasing number of threats to mobile devices. Startlingly enough, the report revealed that criminals can target any mobile platform they desire, including Symbian OS, Java 2 Mobile Edition, Symbian S60 3rdEdition, Python, and Android. The Symbian OS (used in Nokia smartphones), it points out, is the most popular platform for mobile malware developers.
As 3G scenario is set to provide better connectivity at an affordable rate, enterprise community is looking for solutions that can deliver resiliency coupled with security and affordability. On the enterprise side, secure connectivity and encryption to protect against data loss and identity is the key, and for customers, it is the web security and malware threat that the security companies are trying to provide solutions for.
Moving forward, as 3G gets better penetration in metro as well as small locations of the country, service providers need to provide standard security applications but if they can provide customized security enhanced applications that can cater to different security requirements of the enterprise as well as end user, than it will be a major step towards overcoming the security concern and taking the 3G era to the next level of success.