Web Commerce Security Design and Development

CHAPTER 2

Mobile Commerce

One of the most recent ways to interact with the Internet and conduct electronic commerce is through mobile devices. This is an all-mobile chapter, dedicated to mobile devices, mobile commerce (m-commerce), and their security.¹

Up until the end of the last century, the computing world mainly comprised personal computers (PCs), such as laptop and desktop machines, and the back-end servers that interacted with them. From a system-component perspective, these two computing platforms are no different. At that time, mobile phones were just that: a phone. Mobile computing has come a long way and a lot has changed since then. The first thing that most users look for in a modern mobile device is not really how it makes a simple phone call; it is how feature-packed it is, how easy it is to use, its screen size and resolution, the convenience of its Web browsing experience, and so on. If the mobile device also facilitates a decent phone conversation, then that's a bonus, even though when held a certain way it drops calls, people will still stand in line to buy it.² Within the past four years or so (mainly thanks to the introduction of the Apple iPhone series ³) consumers have been enjoying more Internet-friendly mobile devices; consequently, activities that you could only perform via your personal computer at home or in your office can now be done using your mobile phone wherever you go. Electronic commerce is no exception. Engaging in e-commerce on mobile phones ...