Hashing Smartphone Serial Numbers: An ASLR Approach to Preventing Malware Attacks

The Internet and mobile devices today have merged seamlessly, giving smartphone users access to the World Wide Web, email and other network services and resources.  Due to the increased popularity of smartphones they have become a very attractive target for malware. It is predicted that smartphone users will see a multitude of different malware attacks aimed at their mobile devices in the near future. This paper presents how malware can spread to smartphones, and possible routes to safeguard smartphones against attacks.  Specific defensive tactics of the Symbian Operating System will be outlined and a variation of Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) specifically for smartphones will be presented to prevent the spread of malware from both the Internet and other smartphones.