smart phone
31 TopicsBait Phone
You may be familiar with the truTV program Bait Car, where the police place a vehicle equipped with hidden cameras and radio trackers in various areas to catch a would be car thief in the act. It’s kinda fun to watch people ‘check out’ the car, check out the surroundings and decide to jump in and drive off. You get to see their excitement as they think that they’ve just won the jackpot along with the utter despair as officers remotely kill the car and the thief is surrounded. Even the excuses as to why they are driving it are hilarious. ‘I was just moving it for my friend, so they wouldn’t get a ticket, whose name I forgot and I also can’t remember where they live.’ In the UK, they got something similar except with mobile phones called ‘Operation Mobli.’ Plain clothes police purposely left "bait" phones embedded with tracking devices in nine pubs and bars across the towns of Hastings and St Leonards in Sussex. I’m not sure what makes and models of phones were left for the taking but none of the baited devices were stolen. In every case, an honest patron noticed the ‘forgotten’ phone and turned in to the bar staff. Some might describe this sting as a failure but according to the Sussex Police’s press release Sgt Ché Donald said, ‘This was an excellent result and my faith has been restored as the phones were honestly handed in.’ I often write about the potential perils of losing a smartphone crammed with private data and all the unfortunate circumstances that follow. If it gets into the wrong hands then that is the case yet we must also remember that there are plenty of good, honest folks out there who will do the right thing when they find something that doesn’t belong to them. Maybe they’ve seen police sting shows, maybe they’ve lost something themselves, maybe their parents raised them right or maybe it’s simply kindness and honesty that’s built into every one of us. Human’s are capable of the greatest good and the nastiest of evil, it’s all how we decide to play it. ps References: Operation Mobli deters mobile phone thieves in Hastings Police mobile phone sting fails when.. err.. no handsets stolen Mobile-phone 'sting' reveals honesty of Sussex pubgoers Police Sting Operation Yields No Mobile Phone Thefts It's legal: cops seize cell phone, impersonate owner What’s in Your Smartphone? Freedom vs. Control BYOD–The Hottest Trend or Just the Hottest Term Will BYOL Cripple BYOD?792Views0likes1CommentBIG-IP Edge Client v1.0.6 for iOS 7
With all your other iOS 7 updates (if you've made the plunge), if you are running the BIG-IP Edge Client on your iPhone, iPod or iPad, you may have gotten an AppStore alert for an update. If not, I just wanted to let you know that version 1.0.6 of the iOS Edge Client is available at the AppStore with iOS 7 support. Customers who use UDID in their access policies should have users update to this version. The BIG-IP Edge Client application from F5 Networks secures and accelerates mobile device access to enterprise networks and applications using SSL VPN and optimization technologies. Access is provided as part of an enterprise deployment of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager, Edge Gateway, or FirePass SSL-VPN solutions. BIG-IP Edge Client for iOS Features: Provides accelerated mobile access when used with F5 BIG-IP Edge Gateway. Automatically roams between networks to stay connected on the go. Full Layer 3 network access to all your enterprise applications and files. ps Related: Manual: BIG-IP Edge Apps Client Compatibility Matrix BIG-IP Edge Client and BIG-IP Edge Portal for Apple iOS and Android software support policy Release Note: BIG-IP Edge Client for iOS 1.0.6 Advanced Edge Client Installation for Windows–The Mysteries of Windows Installer Revealed F5 BIG-IP Edge Client F5 BIG-IP Edge Portal F5 BIG-IP Edge Client for Android Technorati Tags: f5,big-ip,edge client,ssl-vpn,mobile,smartphone,ios7,apple,iphone,ipad,silva,remote access,security,secure access,apm Connect with Peter: Connect with F5:662Views0likes1CommentMobile Malware Milestone
Did you celebrate or castigate? You might not know but last week was the 10 year birthday of Cabir, the first mobile malware. It spread through Bluetooth after infecting the Nokia Series 60 phones running Symbian. Also last week, Kindsight Security Labs (Alcatel-Lucent) released the results of a study (pdf) that found more than 11.6 million mobile devices are infected by mobile malware at any given time and that mobile infections increased 20% globally in 2013. This, obviously, increases risk for stolen personal and financial information, can lead to bill shock resulting from hijacked data usage, or extortion to regain control of the device along with allowing bad guys to remotely track location, download contact lists, intercept/send messages, record conversations and best of all, take pictures. About 60% of all mobile infections involved Android devices that downloaded malicious software from the Google Play store and 40% were Android phones that received malicious code while tethered to a Windows laptop. Both Blackberry and iPhone combined to represent less than 1% of all infected devices. 4G LTE devices are the most likely to be infected and the number of mobile malware samples grew 20X in 2013. This will only get worse as new strains are released, like the proof of concept code that is capable of tracking your taps and swipes as you use a smartphone. That's right, monitor touch events. Say a phone has not been touched in a while and suddenly there is 4 touch events. Well, that's probably a PIN, according to Forbes contributor Tamlin Magee. Add to that a screenshot, now you can overlay the touches with the screenshot and know exactly what is being entered. You know it and I know it: The more we become one with our mobile devices, the more they become targets. It holds our most precious secrets which can be very valuable to some. We need to use care when operating such a device since, in many ways, our lives depend on it. And it is usually around this point in the article that I chastise mobile users for careless behavior but in this instance, there are certainly times where there is nothing you can do. You can be paranoid, careful and only visit the branded app stores yet the risk is still present. Ten years in and we're just getting started. ps Related: Mobile malware is ten years old today Alcatel-Lucent reports 2013 surge in mobile network infections affects 11.6 million devices How People Really Use Mobile Terrifying new smartphone malware tracks your swipes to steal your PIN Trustwave Demonstrates Malware That Logs Touchscreen Swipes To Record Your PIN Kindsight Security Labs Malware Report – Q4 2013 (pdf) Mobile Threats Rise 261% in Perspective The Million Mobile Malware March 2014: The year of mobile…or not? What is mobile malware? Mobile ad networks muddy the answer Technorati Tags: malware,mobile,smartphone,andriod,iphone,security,privacy,identity theft,silva,f5 Connect with Peter: Connect with F5:479Views0likes1CommentQ. The Safest Mobile Device? A. Depends
Depends?!? Well, isn't that the answer to a lot of things in this world? Often our answer depends on the context of the question. Sometimes the answer depends on who you ask since it may only be an opinion or a feeling. Sometimes the answer is based on a survey, which is a moment in time, and might change a day later. I write a lot about secure mobile access, especially to the enterprise, so I'm obviously interested in any stories about the risks of mobile devices. There were a couple over the last few weeks that really caught my attention since they seemed to completely contradict each other. Earlier in the month, SC Magazine had a story titled, RSA 2013: iOS safer than Android due to open app model, patching delays which covered much of what many already feel - due to Apple's controlled ecosystem, the apps that are available are less of a risk to a user. They made note of the McAfee Threats Report which says Android malware almost doubled from the 2nd to 3rd quarter of 2012. Then just last week, also from SC Magazine, an article titled, Study finds iOS apps to be riskier than Android appeared. What? Wait, I thought they were safer. Well, no apparently. But before I go any further, I do need to mention that the author of both articles, Marcos Colon (@turbomarcos) does reference his first article and says, 'Security concerns surrounding the Android platform have always taken a back seat to that of iOS, but a new study challenges that notion,' so slack has been extended. :-) Anyway, according to an Appthority report, iOS apps pose a greater risk and has more privacy issues (to users) than Android. Appthority's 'App Reputation Report' looked at 50 of the top free apps available on both platforms and investigated how their functionality affects user privacy. They looked for “risky” app etiquette like sending data without encryption, sharing information with 3rd-parties, and gaining access to the users' calendars. (Chart) In this particular study, in almost all the cases, iOS gave access to the most info. Of the 50 apps, all of them (100%) sent unencrypted data via iOS but 'only' 92% sent clear text on Android. Tracking user location: 60% on iOS verses 42% on Android. Sharing user data with third-parties: 60% on iOS verses 50% on Android. When it comes to accessing the user's contacts, something we really do not like, 54% of iOS apps accessed the contact list compared to only 20% on Android. One of biggest differences, according to the article, is that at least on Andriod users are presented with a list of content the app wants to hook and the user can decide - on iOS, permissions can be changed once the app is installed. To claim one device is either 'safer,' or 'riskier' is somewhat a moot point these days. Any time you put your entire life on a device and then rely on that device to run your life, there is risk. Any time we freely offer up private information, there is a risk. Any time we rely on others to protect our privacy and provide security, there is a risk. Any time we allow apps access to personal information, there is risk. But like any potential vulnerability, individuals and organizations alike, need to understand the potential risk and determine if it something they can live with. Security is risk management. To top all this off and really what made me write this, was an @GuyKawasaki tweet titled Love Logo Swaps and among the many twists on brands, was this one: And it all made sense. ps Related: RSA 2013: iOS safer than Android due to open app model, patching delays Study finds iOS apps to be riskier than Android Smartphone hacking comes of age, hitting US victims 6 Steps To Address BYOD: A Security Management Roadmap 10 Awesome Logo Swaps Inside Look - F5 Mobile App Manager Is BYO Already D? Will BYOL Cripple BYOD? Freedom vs. Control BYOD–The Hottest Trend or Just the Hottest Term BYOD 2.0 – Moving Beyond MDM with F5 Mobile App Manager Technorati Tags: mobile device,smartphone,ios,android,privacy,safety,security,silva,byod,mam,f5,risk Connect with Peter: Connect with F5:390Views0likes0CommentsHackable Homes
Is your house vulnerable? Imagine coming home, disarming the alarm system, unlocking your doors and walking into a ransacked dwelling. There are no broken windows, no forced entry, no compromised doggie doors and really no indication that an intruder had entered. Welcome to your connected home. I stop short of calling it a 'smart' home since it's not yet intelligent enough to keep the bad guys out. From smartphone controlled front door locks to electrical outlets to security cameras to ovens, refrigerators and coffee machines, internet connected household objects are making their way into our homes. Our TVs, DVDs and DVRs are already. And anything connected to the internet, as we all know, is a potential target to be compromised. Researchers have shown how easy it is to infect automobiles and it is only a matter of time before crooks and a little bit of code will be able to watch you leave your driveway, disable your alarms, unlock your door, steal your valuables and get out with minimal trace. Those CSI/NCIS/Criminal Minds/L&O crime dramas will need to come up with some new ideas on how to solve the mystery during the trace-evidence musical montages. The hard-nosed old timer is baffled by the fact that there is nothing to indicate a break-in except for missing items. Is the victim lying for insurance fraud? Could it have been a family member? Or simply a raccoon? A real who-done-it! Until, of course, the geeky lab technician emerges from their lair with a laptop showing how the hacker remotely controlled the entire event. 'Look Boss, zeros and ones!' Many of these remotely controlled home devices use a wireless communications protocol called Z-Wave. It's a low power radio wave that allows home devices to communicate with each other and be controlled remotely over the internet. Last year, 1.5 million home automation products were sold in the US and that is expected to grow to 8 million in less than 5 years. An estimated 5 million Z-Wave devices will be shipped this year. Like any communications protocol, riff-raff will attempt to break it, intercept it and maliciously control it. And as the rush to get these connected devices in consumer's hands and homes grows, security protections may lag. I often convey that the hacks of the future just might involve your refrigerator. Someone takes out all the internet enabled fridges on the West Coast and there is a food spoilage surge since no one owns legacy fridges any more....let alone Styrofoam coolers. ps Related: 'Smart homes' are vulnerable, say hackers The five scariest hacks we saw last week From Car Jacking to Car Hacking The Prosecution Calls Your Smartphone to the Stand Mobile Threats Rise 261% in Perspective Q. The Safest Mobile Device? A. Depends Holiday Shopping SmartPhone Style SmartTV, Smartphones and Fill-in-the-Blank Employees Technorati Tags: blackhat,hacks,vulnerabilities,breach,home,house,smart phone,smart technology,silva,security,z-wave,smart devices,household Connect with Peter: Connect with F5:362Views0likes1CommentInvasion of Privacy - Mobile App Infographic Style
Couple blogs/weeks ago, I posted What’s in Your Smartphone? covering the recent Nielsen report, State of the Appnation – A Year of Change and Growth in U.S. Smartphones. According to the study, 70% (last year) and 73% (this year) expressed concern over personal data collection and 55% were cautious about sharing location info via smartphone apps so, obviously, it is important that users are aware of the risks they face when downloading and using apps. So it is perfect timing that I came across Veracode’s infographic showing real world cases to outline the threat to user privacy posed by mobile apps. Infographic by Veracode Application Security Fascinating and scary at the same time. ps References: How Mobile Apps are Invading Your Privacy Infographic Infographic: How Mobile Apps Invade Your Privacy State of the Appnation – A Year of Change and Growth in U.S. Smartphones Nielsen: 1 in 2 own a smartphone, average 41 apps Freedom vs. Control BYOD–The Hottest Trend or Just the Hottest Term Hey You, Get Off-ah My Cloud! Evolving (or not) with Our Devices The New Wallet: Is it Dumb to Carry a Smartphone? BYOD Is Driving IT ‘Crazy,’ Gartner Says Consumerization trend driving IT shops 'crazy,' Gartner analyst says321Views0likes0CommentsThe New Wallet: Is it Dumb to Carry a Smartphone?
When I was a teenager, I used to have one of those cool nylon surfer wallets with the Velcro close, you remember those don’t ya? While pumping diesel (had a VW Rabbit) one day at an old Gulf station, I left the wallet on top of the car and drove off. Realizing that my wallet was not snug in the sun visor when I got home, I retraced my path and found it - parts of it - scattered all over Route 1. Luckily, I got most of my belongings back but had that sickened feeling of almost losing my most precious possession at the time, my fake I……um, my driver’s license. I then got a leather wallet and shoved so many things in there I could have been mistaken for George Costanza, not to mention the hole that evolved right at the bottom point of my back pocket. Not liking the bump on my butt, I eventually moved to ‘money-clip’ type holders, you know those money holder things you carry in your front pocket. I felt ‘safer’ knowing it was in my front pocket and I only carried the essentials that I needed, rather than the reams of receipts I’d have in my wallet. When I was younger, I’d use tie clips, metal binder clips, and other things until I got a nice Harley-Davidson one which holds credit cards and clips currency. I’d still feel sick if I lost it however. Not having a wallet, purse, money clip or other currency container at all, may eventually be our new reality. You see, our smartphones are starting to carry all that digital information for us and according to a recent CNNMoney article, our smartphones are becoming one of our most dangerous possessions. We can do banking, make payments, transfer money, use the phone for loyalty card swipes along with credit card transactions. At the same time, mobile users more vulnerable to phishing attacks, some banking apps for Android, iPhone expose sensitive info, Android Trojan Emerges In U.S. Download Sites and how IPv6: Smartphones compromise users' privacy. We knew it would eventually happen but the crooks are now adapting to the explosive mobile growth, the rise of mobile banking and our never ending connection to the internet. Don’t get me wrong, like many of you, I love having email, contacts, calendar and entertainment at my fingertips along with the convenience of having all my stuff with me; but the chances of losing much more greatly increase since you have the equivalent, or even more, of all your credit cards, personal and private information and other sensitive stuff right on your smartphone. Sure there are backup programs but how many of you actually backup your computer on a weekly basis? How many have wipe or lock software installed to destroy everything on the smartphone if it is stolen? How many have tracking software if it is lost? How many have your actual home address in the GPS navigator so the offender can find where you live and visit while you are away? How many have sensitive corporate information stored on the smartphone since you use it for both personal and business use? Now I’m starting to spook myself. Many people will willingly trade some personal info for personal convenience. You might never give a total stranger your home address and phone number but if they add, ‘in exchange, we’ll give you this branded card and you’ll get 10% off every purchase,’ more than likely, we’ll turn that personal info over. If you understand that every purchase will be scanned, sent to a database and used for marketing or as the merchant describes, to ‘provide you with the best service and offerings,’ then you might accept that. If you accept and understand the risks of doing mobile banking, transferring money, making payments and carrying around your entire life on your mobile device….and take actions to mitigate those risks, like using encryption, backups, wipe/locate software, antivirus, OS updates and other mobile security precautions along with practicing the same discretion as you would with your home computer (like not clicking links from strangers) then you should stay relatively safe. Unless, of course, you leave that digital wallet on the top of your vehicle and drive off. ps Resources Android Trojan Emerges In U.S. Download Sites Sophisticated New Android Trojan "Geinimi" Spreading in China Chinese crack down on 'money-sucker' Androids Your most dangerous possession? Your smartphone IPv6: Smartphones compromise users' privacy Mobile users more vulnerable to phishing attacks Report: Banking Apps for Android, iPhone Expose Sensitive Info Make Sure Your Smartphone Payments Are Secure F5 BIG-IP Edge Client App F5 BIG-IP Edge Portal App Securing iPhone and iPad Access to Corporate Web Applications – F5 Technical Brief Audio Tech Brief - Secure iPhone Access to Corporate Web Applications316Views0likes0CommentsThe Prosecution Calls Your Smartphone to the Stand
Or Bring-Your-Own-Defendant A very real legal situation is brewing is the wake of the bring your own device phenomena. #eDiscovery. You might be familiar with some of the various legal or liability issues that should be addressed with a BYOD policy, like privacy, the loss of personal information, working overtime or the fact that financial responsibility may dictate legal obligation. Now, technology law experts are saying that if your company is involved in litigation, criminal or civil, personal mobile devices that were used for work email or other company activity, could be confiscated and examined for evidence as part of the investigation or discovery process. So if you use your personal smartphone for work related activities and your company is involved in a lawsuit, there may come a point where the court might subpoena your phone to see what relevant evidence might be contained. During litigation, the organization itself may have the legal obligation to sift through your mobile device for related information. If sued, companies are required to make a good-faith effort to retrieve data - where ever that may be. That includes your email, GPS history, text messages, cell phone records, social media accounts, pictures and any other info that could be pertinent to the case. This is proprietary company owned data that resides on my personally owned device. This is especially true of your corporate email co-mingles with your personal email - meaning delivered through the same email app or program. In fact, according to this article, a judge recently sanctioned a company for a discovery violation because it did not search the BYOD devices during discovery. Some people seem to lose all sense of daily human functioning when social networks like Facebook, Twitter and others are unavailable for a short period of time. We've become so attached to our mobile devices and they have become the center of our lives...imagine not having that pacifier for a few days. OMG, I've time-traveled the 1980's and have no way of announcing it to the world!! What am I going to do now that I can't re-tweet that funny cat picture! I'm so lost without you, oh electronic appendage. As more organizations embrace or even require BYOD in the workplace, it becomes even more critical to be able to separate personal and work profiles. It is important that the corporate data and apps do not mingle with the already present personal data. Solutions like F5's Mobile App Manager provides a fully enclosed virtual enterprise workspace and creates a secure footprint on the device for enterprise data and access only. MAM allows organizations to safely separate personal data and usage from corporate oversight and controls how employees access key corporate information. ps Related: Use your personal smartphone for work email? Your company might take it BYOD Lawsuits Loom as Work Gets Personal BYOD and Delta Airlines Privacy Lawsuit BYOD gets messy with AT&T class action lawsuit Is BYO Already D? BYOD Policies – More than an IT Issue Part 1: Liability BYOD Policies – More than an IT Issue Part 2: Device Choice BYOD Policies – More than an IT Issue Part 3: Economics BYOD Policies – More than an IT Issue Part 4: User Experience and Privacy BYOD Policies – More than an IT Issue Part 5: Trust Model BYOD 2.0: Moving Beyond MDM (pdf) Inside Look: F5 Mobile App Manager Technorati Tags: ediscovery,legal,courts,litigation,byod,discovery,lawsuit,policy,liability,silva,f5,mam,mobile device,smartphone Connect with Peter: Connect with F5:305Views0likes0CommentsBYOD Policies – More than an IT Issue Part 4: User Experience and Privacy
#BYOD or Bring Your Own Device has moved from trend to an permanent fixture in today's corporate IT infrastructure. It is not strictly an IT issue however. Many groups within an organization need to be involved as they grapple with the risk of mixing personal devices with sensitive information. In my opinion, BYOD follows the classic Freedom vs. Control dilemma. The freedom for user to choose and use their desired device of choice verses an organization's responsibility to protect and control access to sensitive resources. While not having all the answers, this mini-series tries to ask many the questions that any organization needs to answer before embarking on a BYOD journey. Enterprises should plan for rather than inherit BYOD. BYOD policies must span the entire organization but serve two purposes - IT and the employees. The policy must serve IT to secure the corporate data and minimize the cost of implementation and enforcement. At the same time, the policy must serve the employees to preserve the native user experience, keep pace with innovation and respect the user's privacy. A sustainable policy should include a clear BOYD plan to employees including standards on the acceptable types and mobile operating systems along with a support policy showing the process of how the device is managed and operated. Some key policy issue areas include: Liability, Device Choice, Economics, User Experience & Privacy and a trust Model. Today we look at User Experience & Privacy. User Experience and Privacy Most application deployments have the user experience in mind and BYOD is no different. Employees want and need fast and secure access to the right resources, at the right time to accomplish their job. BYOD only enhances or increases the need for a rich user experience. Understand how the policy impacts user experience including battery life. Some apps can drain battery life quickly, which in turn decreases user satisfaction and can potentially limit their interactions. There may be instances where the user has chosen a third-party email application verses either the native email client or one that's supported by corporate. Certainly a dilemma but as stated earlier, a policy should state what's allowed and not allowed. MDM technology is also improving to the point that Secure apps like a browser, email client and other resources are secured on the client device. A user can still use their email client of choice for personal use but work email is delivered through the secure email client. While user experience can contribute to the happiness and productivity of the user/employee, privacy can be a huge issue when BYOD is implemented. A 2010 Supreme Court case, City of Ontario v. Quon, looked at the extent to which the right to privacy applies to electronic communications in a government workplaces. This case also looked at Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. Essentially, a number of police officers were fired for sending sexually explicit message with a city issued device. The city requested an audit of the overages along with the sent messages. The officers sued since the agreement/policy they had with the city allowed them to send personal notes and pay for any overages that might occur. Plus they claimed that their constitutional right was violated along with their privacy under federal communications laws. The court ruled that since they were using city issued devices, the municipality was well within their rights to search since it was work related and it had not violated the Fourth Amendment. If everything was the same but the devices were personally owned by the officers in question, then the city could be in violation and liable. Within the BYOD policy, organizations should also establish a social contract that communicates how and when IT will monitor the device along with when/how/why a device could be wiped. As part of the BYOD Policy the User Experience & Privacy Checklist, while not inclusive, should: · Identify what activities and data must be monitored · Determine the circumstances when a device wipe must occur · Determine how employees can self-remediate · Determine which core services will be delivered to users · Draft a BYOD social contract with Human Resources ps Related BYOD Policies – More than an IT Issue Part 1: Liability BYOD Policies – More than an IT Issue Part 2: Device Choice BYOD Policies – More than an IT Issue Part 3: Economics BYOD–The Hottest Trend or Just the Hottest Term FBI warns users of mobile malware Will BYOL Cripple BYOD? Freedom vs. Control What’s in Your Smartphone? Worldwide smartphone user base hits 1 billion SmartTV, Smartphones and Fill-in-the-Blank Employees Evolving (or not) with Our Devices The New Wallet: Is it Dumb to Carry a Smartphone? Bait Phone BIG-IP Edge Client 2.0.2 for Android BIG-IP Edge Client v1.0.4 for iOS New Security Threat at Work: Bring-Your-Own-Network Legal and Technical BYOD Pitfalls Highlighted at RSA301Views0likes0CommentsBYOD Injuries
This BYOD installment brought to you by, Bring Your Own Doctor Is your mobile device so attractive that you can't keep your eyes off it? Is every phone call so life changing that you are unaware of your surroundings? Do you constantly have to update social media as if you were on a reality series? Do you feel useless unless you are tapping away on a touch screen? Have you come close to being in a bad accident due to being in a world of your own? If you answered 'yes,' then you might be a perfect candidate for the hot new mobile companion, Bring Your Own Doctor!! Pedestrian injuries related to cell phone use are on the rise. Have you ever been so involved with your mobile device that you've bumped into, tripped over, fallen off, fallen in or hit by something because you were not paying attention to where you were going? You are not alone. A recent study shows that pedestrian cell phone-related injuries have more than doubled since 2005. Typically we hear of the horrors of using your mobile device while driving; the risk of personal devices on corporate networks; the dangers of downloading malicious apps and now distracted walking is becoming yet another hazard of this mobile craze. They looked at seven years of emergency room data (2004-2010) from 100 hospitals around the country which showed that bodily injuries (in public places, not at home) related to cell phones ranged from falling off walkways or bridges to walking in front of moving traffic. In 2010 the study found that 1,500 pedestrians were treated in emergency rooms for cell-phone related incidents, as opposed to 559 in 2004. The number has risen every year and could easily double again for the 2010-2015 time frame. The actual injuries are probably higher since many people are hurt and do not visit the ER. The under 30 crowd, specially those between the ages of 16 and 25, are the most at risk. Are you surprised? I'm not. Everywhere you go, people have their devices out and head's down. People will go to the park, only to sit on the bench with their phones out. You can find plenty of 'falling into the mall fountain' YouTube videos due to people in a stare down contest with their phone. For pedestrians, talking on the phone accounted for about 69% of injuries, verses texting, which accounted for about 9%. This is not because texting is necessarily safer than talking and walking. Instead, it is probably because less people actually text while walking than talk while on foot. A couple of the injuries reported included a 14-year-old boy walking down a road while talking on a cell phone fell 6 to 8 feet off a bridge into a rock-strewn ditch, suffering chest and shoulder injuries. A 23-year-old man was struck by a car while walking on the middle line of a road and talking on a cell phone, injuring his hip. I'm sure you have your own story of some trip, slip or busted lip due to distracted mobile use. We usually hear about the digital dangers of mobile use along with the dreaded distracted driver and now there's proof that putting one foot in front of the other - the crowning achievement of any infant - has too, succumbed to technology. ps Related: Study: Cell phone-related pedestrian injuries soar Distracted Walking: Injuries Soar for Pedestrians on Phones Texting While Walking Accidents: Video Girl Falls In Mall Fountain While Texting The New Wallet: Is it Dumb to Carry a Smartphone? Freedom vs. Control Technorati Tags: byod,mobile,smartphone,injuries,emergency room,doctor,silva,f5 Connect with Peter: Connect with F5:300Views0likes2Comments