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German Hacker Cracks Mobile Phone Code

Jack Fox — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:07:39 +0000

A group of computer hackers led by German encryption expert, Karsten Nohl claimed this week to have cracked the secret code that keeps around eighty per cent of the world’s mobile phone conversations secret. The team then published the code online leaving upwards of three billion mobile phone users vulnerable to having their calls intercepted.

According to Nohl, the hack, that promises to force mobile phone companies into a costly security upgrade, was organised to demonstrate the weaknesses of security measures supposedly protecting the GSM (global system for mobile communication). Speaking at Chaos Communication Congress, a four day computer hacker’s conference, Nohl stated…

“We have given up hope that network operators will move to improve security on their own, but we are hoping that with this added attention, there will be increased demand from customers for them to do this,”

Nohl was also due to run a practical demonstration of the code in action, though he shelved that plan at the last minute, pending advice from his lawyers regarding whether or not it would actually be legal to do so.

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PPC School: Mobile Ads

Matt Thomas — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:06:29 +0000

The workplace is becoming less defined by desks and terminals every day, people are recieveing emails and surfing the internet anywhere and everywhere, increasingly through phones as well as laptops. It’s no different in social life either, a huge number of people now have an incredibly high standard of internet connectivity and computer processing sitting in their coat pockets, ready to use at a moment’s notice, almost no matter where they are. This is why any PPC professional worth their salt knows how to plan a good mobile campaign, and why you should too.

To that end, we’ve decided to let you in on a few of Top Click Media’s main mobile advertising tips, so sit back and prepare for liftoff.

1. Target devices individually. Don’t forget that one campaign will not work for every type of phone. Research the different demographics of say, smartphones as opposed to traditional devices and make decisions based on that. You’ll also need to think about the capabilities of various mobile operating systems and handsets.

2. Think beyond search. Your message can appear to mobile phone users who are searching via text ads as well as to site visitors via display ads. Have a think about which suits your message best and spend time researching the best and most visited mobile friendly sites for your business.

3. Consider Bidding for Calls not Clicks. A very useful thing that’s started to happen recently is that you can now pay per call, meaning that you’re only charged when someone actually makes a call as a result of your mobile ad, which for some businesses could potentially be very useful indeed. I really cannot overstate how useful this can be if you get it right. It works by showing a link of your number number on the ad, when that option is selected you pay, and not a moment before. Not only is it a great deal, it’s probably the first proper mass market technique for tracking phone calls.

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Mobile Internet usage becomes the Norm in the US

James Oliver — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:59:38 +0000

According to research collated by ComScore over the last year, mobile Internet use has now proliferated to the extent where it can no longer be seen as a niche activity. The magic number in the pile of data is daily use, which denotes routine and actual usefulness as opposed to novelty value this figure rose by 107% from 10.8 million daily users to 22.4 million from January 2008 to January of this year.

If the research is to be believed, it would appear we are moving out of the age where emailing somebody from the train could be seen as a novelty, and into an age where it is taken for granted that business people in transit or otherwise away from their desks will not be out of the loop.

So what’s behind the jump in mobile usage? Well, ComScore believe it’s all down to advances in phone technology. According to the data, around 70 percent of mobile usage of the Internet is done using feature phones, meaning high-end phones like iPhones or a G1s. ComScore believes that the proliferation of these devices is the major factor in the normalisation of mobile Internet use.

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