Saudi Arabia bans iPhones, Samsung tablets in security areas

Owners of iPhones and Samsung Galaxy tablets may be required to leave their gadgets at the front desk in security institutions in Saudi Arabia due to a new government ban on the items. The Saudi interior ministry cited concerns these gadgets may be easily infiltrated via hacking, Saudi news site Al-Arabiya reported. According to Al-Arabiya, the London-based Asharq Al Awsat cited a security source who said the ministry has received orders to issue the ban inside institutions and security headquarters. Also, IT specialists and experts reiterated the ministry’s security concerns and agreed that these gadgets could potentially impinge on the privacy of people and institutions. The report said that Saudi Arabia is not the first country to issue the ban, as the United States and a number of European countries have done the same at security organizations. It noted a hack had prompted US bank Citigroup Inc. to replace about 100,000 credit cards for its North American customers after a hack attack affected about 200,000 accounts. On the other hand, the report quoted Jason Rouse, a wireless security expert with Cigital, a software consulting firm, as saying many mobile-banking applications do not factor in possibilities that a phone would be compromised. — TJD, GMA News