The variety of mobile devices emerging in the marketplace continues to expand due to, for example, increasing functionality that makes them applicable to many everyday situations. For example, the ability of mobile “smart” devices to communicate data in addition to simple voice interaction makes these devices useful for handling tasks that traditionally needed to be handled over a wired connection (e.g., a desktop linked to the Internet), in-person, etc. These tasks may be conducted using various applications on the mobile device that are configured to provide functionality such as, for example, personal or professional interactivity (e.g., email, messaging, etc.), financial management and transactions (e.g., banking, electronic purchases, etc.), database functionality such as contact management, entertainment applications, etc.
However, the convenience created by mobile device use comes with some inherent risks. There substantial resale value in the mobile device itself, which may make it attractive to others who may wish to possess it unlawfully. Then there is information stored on the mobile device. This information may include identification information (name, address, phone numbers, social security numbers, etc.), financial account information (e.g., bank accounts, credit card numbers, etc.), login information for personal or business-related networks, etc. This information may be worth much more that than the actual mobile device itself in that it may grant access to others to wrongfully access information, make unauthorized transactions, impersonate the device user, etc.
Existing mobile device security may be provided by the device operating system (OS) or by third-party security applications that execute with OS-level privilege. While effective against average users, more advanced users may circumvent these protections by attacking the device at the OS level. For example, dictionary attacks may be utilized to determine passwords, sensitive information may be retrieved by forcibly accessing the device memory using external interfaces, the mobile device may be reconfigured by installing a new OS, etc. As a result, mobile devices continue to be an attractive target for wrongdoers that know how to prey upon their weaknesses.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.