Cloudmark CTO to Address Mobile Messaging Threats at CTIA 2013

According to Ferris Research, a company that tracks spam messages, an estimated 4.5 billion spam text messages were sent last year. Everyone from the FCC and FTC to telecom companies are feeling the rage of consumers who are submitting complaints in the tens of thousands. Besides being annoying, spam texting can be costly; the recipient of the text can pay up to 20 cents per message. In trying to address this and other messaging abuses, Cloudmark CTO Neil Cook will be addressing many of the effects of mobile messaging spam at CTIA 2013 in Las Vegas, NV from May 21-23.

Although research by Harris Interactive puts the number of U.S. adults who have received unsolicited text message at 72 percent, the numbers are considered to be much higher by most experts. The CTO will be addressing the mobile ecosystem and its incredible growth in determining what is driving mobile message spam. The dialogue will try to find solutions industry-wide by addressing the economics behind messaging spams.

"Mobile devices have increasingly become a target for spammers due to their widespread adoption. We’re also seeing more sophisticated attacks that leverage mobile, social networking and other means of communications to target unsuspecting individuals “It’s critical that carriers understand the methodology surrounding these attacks and how they can collaborate to help protect consumers," said Neil Cook, chief technology officer, Cloudmark.

Cloudmark is a provider of security software designed to protect communication service provider networks and subscribers against messaging threats. The platform the company provides is the only one of its kind that delivers instant security and control different messaging situations. The Cloudmark solution is used by more than 120 Tier 1 customers around the world, including AT&T, Comcast, Cox, NTT, Swisscom and Verizon.

The platform Cloudmark uses to combat this threat involves a combination of Advanced Messaging Fingerprinting and real-time feedback from the company's Global Threat Network. The Cloudmark Security Platform for mobile messaging can detect any type of mobile messaging security threat.

Security experts expect mobile security to surpass e-mail and PC security regarding the amount of resources that will be invested in order to combat this issue. With more than 300 million active mobile phones just in the United States and one in five users using mobile banking, this platform has become the target of choice for hackers.