The rise in power of the personal computer and the advent of the Internet has led to many amazing technological innovations. Just twenty years ago, something as complex as the worldwide web would seem unfathomable, now it is hard to imagine ever living without it. Unfortunately, as with every great innovation, there are always those who take advantage of something in order to corrupt it. With the Internet, it has become hackers who threaten security. In the case of the new iPhone and it’s built-in web browser, things are no different.
In fact, the iPhone, based on the fact that it uses a “watered-down” version of Apple’s home operating system, is more susceptible to corruption via hackers. Given the lack of complexity to the browser, hackers can take on the ‘appearance’ of another, trusted website; once the hacker ropes you into their trap, there is no turning back. Almost immediately, your iPhone’s system can become corrupted.
Another drawback to the iPhone is the ability to view websites that house discussion forums. While there are no complications in accessing pages with the posts, there is no line of defense between the iPhone and posts that contain harmful, encrypted codes. Sadly, there is no way to identify these corrupted message boards.
The classic hacking method of embedding viruses and/or other corrupted material within e-mails is no stranger to the iPhone. If the hacker can trick you into opening his or her e-mail message, it might already be too late for your iPhone’s operating system. Once a virus finds its way into your OS, the outlook becomes very bleak for recovery.
But how exactly do you go about defending yourself from corrupted information that is floating around the website? Use your head! You might be able to get away with visiting shaky websites from your home computer, as your security systems are probably the highest of quality. But more discretion must be practiced with the iPhone as one click can lead to disastrous consequences.
As such, it is always a good idea to avoid opening websites unless you can claim with certainty that they will be safe—stick with the massively popular sites for your iPhone, perform more varied web surfing on a personal computer. To that end, only connect to trusted networks. Yes, it is a pain to have to wait for internet service and it can be tempting to ignore the risks and connect to any network once you receive a signal, but practice patience. It won’t do you any good to connect to a corrupted network once it wreaks havoc on your iPhone. The only thing worse than no connectivity is an iPhone that no longer can connect once there is connectivity.
The bottom line is that the iPhone cannot really compete with the security measures that can be taken on most home computers. And unfortunately, hackers will take every chance they can get to exploit this fact. This means that more caution than necessary should be used when navigating the Internet on an iPhone.
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