Paul Sebastian Ziegler (Independent Network Security Researcher)

Presentation Title Smartphones, Applications & Security
Presentation Abstract

10 years ago, “phone hacking” meant “hacking with your phone” to get free calls or information. Today, the same term more likely than not stands for being hacked by your phone, through your phone and on your phone. Smart phones have evolved into complex machines with strong processors. Add to that GPS capabilities, microphones, cameras and a constant high-speed link to the internet and you got yourself a prime target.

Smartphones used to be a rare luxury item in the possession of a few technology savvy (read “security aware”) people. Now there are millions of them in the hands of high school students, university graduates and workers of all ranks all over the corporate world. And no matter if Android, iOS or Meego, they were bought with productivity and lifestyle in mind – not security.

This talk takes an in-depth look at new attack vectors, phone specifics, what we’ve seen so far and what we are likely to see in the near future. From basic examples like eavesdropping and data gathering to more obscure ideas like motion tracking and altering messages in real time, all concepts are up for grabs. We will also take a look at and demonstrate on stage what people with physical access to your device can do even in a very short timeframe.

Last but not least, this talk takes focuses on the potential multiplatform malware has gained through the advent of broadly used smartphones and how an employee’s phone may be used to breach an otherwise airtight network.

About Paul Sebastian Ziegler

Paul is a free security researcher and author for a wealth of companies and publishers. He was a speaker at defcon15, Black Hat Japan 2007 and AVTokyo 2010 and likes keeping speeches easy to follow and fun to listen to while tapping into new and unusual areas of security research.