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Re:The Problem with Mobile Phones by MichaelGG on Thursday April 30, 2015 @07:12PM (#9468202)
First, citation needed on DDoS being a major mobile threat to actual phones. If you mean the iOS wifi bug, that's not major or a DDoS.

Second, OK, we ditch IP and flip to OSI protocols. Now apart from decreased security due to all this new software that'd have to be made, how would that make things more secure, at all? Everyone will still want to use the Internet, so it's not airgapping.

This argument makes no sense.

Re:The Problem with Mobile Phones by christianbryant on Thursday April 30, 2015 @09:55PM (#9468930)
1) Haha, well the "current major mobile threat" jab was more tongue in cheek, and you're right - it's the "No iOS Zone" vulnerability. The citation is the following: RSA conference presenter SkyCure discussed the possible vulnerability [0] in iOS 8 that _could_ allow iPhone users with iOS 8 to be victimized by the equivalent of a DoS attack. And, the org has worked with Apple and iOS 8.3 likely fixes the issue.

2) However, while I wasn't making an argument per se, more just thinking out loud about architecture choices, especially when they "mimic" systems that are not for the same purpose, I do believe that is a small part of the problem when it comes to mobile security as pertains to phones. And, maybe I'm also thinking that with that in mind, there might be room for a whole separate set of protocols and methods for interacting with the Internet (or a reasonable facsimile of it) from your phone, which is not a PC :-)

[0] https://www.skycure.com/blog/ios-shield-allows-dos-attacks-o...

Re:The Problem with Mobile Phones by simonh on Friday May 01, 2015 @06:48AM (#9470523)
I understand your motives, but the problem with your argument is that youre telling us what a mobile phine shouldn't be (no internet, no TCPIP even, and reading a bit between the lines perhaps no GPS or Wifi even). But to usefully describe a thing you need to say what it is and what it does, not what it doesn't do.
Re:The Problem with Mobile Phones by christianbryant on Saturday May 02, 2015 @04:21PM (#9478421)
Yes, I suppose I left out the important part where I should turn around and state what I think the actual alternatives are, and if they don't exist, propose them :-)

I'm still getting my feet wet with this critical thinking exercise, especially where an exchange of ideas is required to hone my own! I'll have to come back to this one...