The Wall Street Journal reports on the use of smartphones' unique ID numbers as a way for criminals to access users' social networks. While the IDs do not contain user information in and of themselves, the report notes that "app developers and mobile ad networks often use them to keep track of user accounts, sometimes storing them along with more sensitive information like name, location, e-mail address or social-networking data," effectively using the IDs as what researcher Aldo Cortesi describes as a not-too-secure key to that information. "Mobile security is not limited to a singular app or games overall--it's an issue that the entire mobile ecosystem needs to address," Cortesi said. (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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