MEDIA ADVISORY, Feb. 28, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -
WHAT: Mobile Competency's Mobile Viewpoint research report
"Faulty Cell Phone Security Leaves Millions Exposed"
unveils how hackers have exploited a faulty
authentication mechanism to get access to mobile
voicemail systems. The first step to fixing the
problem is requiring password-protected access,
regardless of the voicemail access method or user's
location. Cingular, Sprint and T-Mobile subscribers
appear to be most at risk. Which -- if any -
providers are safe?
Two recent high-profile cell phone hacks (a Secret
Service agent and Paris Hilton) made us wonder
whether our own mobile privacy was intact. It
wasn't. We were able to hack into our own cell phone
voicemail systems to change passwords and manipulate
options, including capturing caller names and
numbers. Our hands-on research found that hackers
have exploited two flaws to gain access. Customers
of Cingular, Sprint and T-Mobile are at risk. Nextel
and Verizon appear safer.
WHO: Bob has more than 25 years of wireless-industry
experience. Prior to founding Mobile Competency, he
held corporate leadership positions at: Corechange,
Gartner, Digital Equipment Corp., Waters Associates
and GTE Research Laboratories. As a vice president
with Gartner Group, Mr. Egan received the firm's
esteemed "Thought Leadership Achievement Award."
Wireless Review has called Bob Egan the "Market
Maker" and was named one of the top six most
influential industry analysts by Adweek Magazine
Technology Marketing Group. He has written hundreds
of articles and reports on the mobile industry, and
his viewpoints have been featured in The Wall Street
Journal, USA Today, Forbes, BusinessWeek and Fortune
as well as on ABC News, CNBC, BBC TV and The
MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. Bob is a board advisor to
Mobile Enterprise magazine, where he writes a monthly
column, and is Analyst Expert for
SearchMobileComputing.com which syndicates the
weekly Mobile Viewpoint publication. Mr. Egan is an
author of the IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN standard.
Founded in 2002, the objective of Mobile Competency
is to work with our clients to infuse the experience
and knowledge about mobile that allows the enterprise
to make good decisions about where, what and how to
use mobility to grow revenue, lower costs, improve
customer experience and loyalty, and increase
employee productivity. Mobile Competency's mission
is to educate and guide CIO's and IT Managers through
the complex business and technical issues relating to
mobility and how it affects enterprise efficiency and
profitability. We leverage our in depth understanding
of the enterprise market to help vendor companies
attract more business by engaging us to review
product roadmaps, messaging, market validation and
analysis.
WHERE: www.mobilecompetency.com
INTERVIEW
OPPORTUNITIES: For information on Mobile Competency or to speak with
Bob Egan regarding the attacks discussed in this
research brief, please contact Stephanie Spangler via
phone at +1 401-241-4000 or via e-mail at
stephanie@mobilecompetency.com.