Mobile Handset Security: Securing Open Devices and Enabling Trust

As open mobile terminals become more prevalent across the user-base, developers want to be able to create innovative applications with access to all the features of the handset. Finding a balance which allows developers to cultivate the mobile community, yet which prevents malicious actions by a minority is a difficult yet necessary task. Openness brings new challenges and threats such as Malware. Alongside these new threats is the traditional embedded hacking community who continue to attempt to undermine the underlying hardware and firmware of the device. Establishing underlying trust for users and businesses at the low level of the handset is difficult under these circumstances.