Selling your old phone, read this!

You may be probably thinking of spoiling yourself this Christmas by upgrading to a fancier cellphone and selling your old one, not a bad idea. However, as a consumer it is wise to know the implications that are bound to result as you go through that transgression. Selling your old cellphone is similar to handing over your personal diary to a stranger.

In the past two weeks while I was away in South Africa, Johannesburg attending a SADC journalists workshop, I couldn’t stop but notice how one cellphone retailer related and demonstrated to me the dangers of selling one’s cellphone.

When I paid him a visit at his store to enquire about how his working relationship with his consumers, the gentleman, who I will prefer to call Joe, could not stop but to give me an in depth lesson on why I should not sell my old cellphone.

It all began when one married lady came to his store to sell her old cellphone, citing that she had already acquired a new gadget and saw no need to own two cellphones. Well understood. With Joe having gone through the necessary legal selling procedures with the consumer and eventually paid the asking price, the full rights of the phone were now with Joe.

Before Joe let the consumer off the hook, they both went through the cellphone functions just to make sure that no data still existed.
The consumer assured Joe that she had followed the directions in her cellphone manual to erase all her information, including lurid exchanges with her lover. But it was not enough.

 Retailer Joe also reset the phone in the present of the consumer as would normally be done by most sellers as assurance to their consumers that sensitive information has been erased. What the consumer, myself included, did not know was that all the information presumed to be erased could again be resurrected. That was to be done by using specialised, yet inexpensive software found on the Internet.

Minutes after the consumer had left the cellphone retailer shop, Joe took time to take me through the stages as he retrieved information from the cellphone that could equal to a 1 000 stack of printout pages. Amongst the consumer’s data were her bank accounts, passwords and id number not to mention the mountain of personal messages. That was only to be one of a hundred cellphones within Joe’s possession which have been sold at least this year. I was shocked, not by how good the software was but by the data on this one phone I had seen which to me was so vital, it could even send the consumer behind bars.

The experience of seeing how easily data in your cellphone can turn back to haunt you made me lose trust on my cell phone. Cellphones have nowadays become a cannot- live-without gadget with secretive information to some consumers and whether they will still claim the same respect remains to be seen. I came to the conclusion that all consumers owning such gadgets should be aware that if they thought their secrets were safe since the evidence in their cell phones was erased, they should think twice as someone out there knows all about them, especially if they have already let go the old for the new.
United States of America President Barack Obama and Black-Berry addict was told to dispose of his gadget before he assumed the presidency to avoid a possible national-security disaster if his device was ever hacked or fell into the wrong hands.
Obama won the right to keep his mobile device, but one configured with security enhancements.
A private software company in the US is currently trying several cellphones which they can make more secure for people who store sensitive information on them. So if you are thinking of selling your old cellphone or have just done that, always bear in mind that your old cellphone will still possess all your secrets.  
The solution, if you have got a technician within your staff structure at your workplace, ask them to thoroughly clean all phones before you sell, donate or toss them. If not, call or visit your retailer so that their technicians can do the job for you.  

Cellphone security problems

If you don’t own at least one cell-phone by this point in your life, consider yourself unique. Even members of the rural community have been seen chatting, while riding their tractors around in the fields. While all this communication may be a great thing, there are some major issues that need to be understood about owning and using a cellphone before you punch in that first number. How you can one mitigate cellphone threats and staying away from becoming a victim.

Beware the Virus

The cell phone is nothing less than a simplified computer. Combine this fact with the number of cellphones that are out there, and you have an attractive target for an attacker.
If you think this is not a problem that exists, think again! There have been numerous viruses released for cellphones. Some only kill your battery as they scan for new victims, but others actually make phone calls to high priced lines or send costly SMS messages without the owner’s knowledge or consent. The point is, cellphone viruses (and other forms of malware) are here and will only grow in popularity.
Currently, avoiding these malicious pieces of code is simple. Do not install illegal software and do not open attachments.
Sound familiar? These two rules should be followed because they are the same rules you should be following when operating your PC.

New Technology Problems

Thanks to the rapidly changing technology, the cellphone market is full of all kinds of new and interesting perks. Camera phones, MP3 players, and more can be added to make your mobile experience all the more interesting.
Unfortunately, these same features can bring with them some nasty side affects.
One of the first rules of cryp-tology is that you never trust a new algorithm because it hasn’t had enough of a chance in the real world and hasn’t been truly tested. The same should apply to all new technologies that you are going to trust your personal information with, including such things as your contact list and personal photos. Simply put, do not let the thrill of a new toy or service blind you to the fact that it most likely has vulnerabilities that could leave you embarrassed, or worse.

Trusting Your
CellPhone Company

When you sign up for a cell- phone service like MTN and you purchase one of their costly devices, you would not expect to find you personal pictures online. Unfortunately, this is exactly what US celebrity Paris Hilton found. As it turned out, her cellphone stores the pictures she takes on their server. Someone figured out how to get to this information and the pictures ended up online, along with her task list, address book, and more.  The moral of this story is if you have to rely on a phone company to keep your data secure, it’s best not to store valuable/personal information.

Stolen/Lost Phone

Cellphones are portable gadgets. This is one reason they are so popular. Unfortunately, small things have a way of getting lost or stolen. This threat is obvious, and the solution should be equally as obvious, but is ironically rarely employed. While not unbreakable, it is highly recommended that you lock the phone with a password. The finder of the phone may have your hardware, but at least they won’t have your personal information or be able to use your phone.

Bluetooth Problems

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that allows local devices to create a small network through which information can be passed. When it comes to cellphones, this information usually consists of addresses and small files. Unfortunately, if the Bluetooth settings are not correctly applied, an attacker can retrieve address book, call history, and more from a target phone. In addition, viruses have been seen in the wild that have been able to reproduce over the Bluetooth connection. To avoid these problems, simply disable the Bluetooth component of your device until you need it.

Cellphone radiation, driving and manners

Not all problems related to cell phones are tied to digital security. Cellphones emit energy when establishing a connection. Energy in the form of radio waves is also known as radiation. Radiation can cause problems with cells in your body and lead to nasty things like cancer. The true danger of the problem is related to the amount of power and the frequency of the radio signal.

To put this in non technical terms, the only difference between a cellphone and a microwave is the amount of energy used to create a signal. No one in their right mind would stick their head in a microwave! So, keep this in mind and use the antenna. It serves to keep your head out of the way of the signal, and thus keep the signal out of your head. Next we have to address the whole driving while talking on a cellphone problem. It is illegal in some areas, and generally frowned upon in the remaining.

Fortunately, there are many accessories that can eliminate the dangers related to holding the phone up to your ear (i.e. ear piece, speaker phone, car phone systems).
(Feedback can be emailed to bhembe5@yahoo.com.
Other information sourced from the internet)