Silicon valley staring mobile phone safety

Last week, I received an email, mail from silicon valley mobile security company LookOut founder and chief technical officer Kevin Mahaffey.

"Google the virus scanning technology Bouncer to instead of artificial strategy, I think this is great, it already allows developers to quickly developing applications, and increase the Android cellphone users of the baseline security. In fact we are and Android security team close cooperation, in order to protect the user from threatened. We believe this is Google's a right direction, threat range in changing Android ecosystem steadily promoting the development of Android Market."

In May 2010, founded in 2007 years of mobile security firm Accel Partners by LookOut has won the $11 million for brought. In this round of investment, Khosla Ventures, Trilogy Partnership, it also real gold and silver, the old symantec anti-virus software manufacturer former chief executive officer Toseph Ansanelli, joined the founding team as board chairman of the company. After six months, the LookOut again won the series B round investment of us $19 million. And according to Mahaffey told, and complete C round end new $40 million of financing LookOut, already in February this year new homes, plunge into the San Francisco in the heart of the financial district, near the window overlook the gulf can be the most beautiful scenery-the golden gate bridge.

And a startup company LookOut behind the prosperous, is the global smartphone market explosive growth and silicon valley venture investment institutions to mobile security pay more and more attention to the investment layout.

LookOut's C rounds of financing investors Andreessen Horowitz by silicon valley two men Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz form, the former is the first in the history of the Internet in common use a web browser founder Mosaic, he is also well-known netscape co-founder, the latter to enterprise software company Opsware joint founder campaigner, Opsware already in July 2007 HP (the Po) for the $160 million cash purchase.

LookOut mainly provide the following service: a stop viruses, malicious software, spy software; Two regular scanning application installation; Three regularly user data backup in LookOut platform; 4 if users cellphone stolen or lost, also can achieve through the computer in Google Maps for mobile phones, the position of the remote eliminate personal data such as mobile phones. Be worth what carry is, two years ago when I first interview in silicon valley LookOut, it also only support Android, blackberry (the Po), Microsoft (the Po) Window Mobile Mobile platform, but last year October LookOut also launched iOS versions iPhone support.

"Not the first time launch iPhone version because iOS relatively safe, compared with the iPhone, a free and open Android mobile phone users are more vulnerable to security problems." Mahaffey said. According to the Juniper Networks, research, last July and November in Android Market appear on the 472% increase in the number of malicious software, so Google had just announced that the existence of the Bouncer technical inspection tools, marks Google application store from quantity of the transformation to the index, and currently the LookOut is close cooperation with Android security team, in order to protect the user is under threat.

In addition to protect individual users mobile phone security outside, and the United States have also set up last year LookOut mobile operator Verizon form the first strategic partner relationship, to cut into the whole application store service.

"Smart phones and mobile applications already in the past 6 years experience tremendous growth in 2012, because more mobile phone users will be functional replacement for smart cellphones, we expect global smartphone sales soared 25%." LookOut mobile field released report says.