Lookout Safeguards Smartphones, but Do Consumers Care?

The alert came in around 3 a.m. on May 2. The website of a pest control company was being something of a pest itself, harassing visitors into downloading a suspicious “security update.” Normally, a website spreading malware wouldn’t stir much excitement among computer security professionals. This was different: The virus-laden site targeted only mobile phones, not PCs.

To the founders of smartphone security startup Lookout, this was cause for alarm—and excitement. Hackers have long attacked mobile phones by hiding malware in apps. In this case, smartphones were infected by visiting a website. It signals the economics of hacking are changing, says Kevin Mahaffey, co-founder of Lookout. “Someone is actually forgoing the PC opportunity and choosing mobile instead,” he says.