Br2e Pre-Int Readingfile02
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daniel-XIIReading file 2
Background
Is your data safer on your phone?
Having a smart phone or a PDA your laptop on a public wi-fi network
(Personal Digital Assistant) should make without antivirus software and a
your life easier. Having the Internet and good firewall, but a lot of people are
*access to your emails in your pocket connecting to the Internet on their hand-
means that anywhere and everywhere is held devices on unsecured networks
your office. But are there hidden dangers without similar protection. This means
that most of us don’t think of when we that your computer is open to hackers
buy our exciting new smart phone? who can get their hands on everything
Phil Jones is a security *consultant you send.’ Contadino also warns us that
working with clients across Europe and virus writers are now writing worms and
advises his customers not to put too viruses especially for hand-held devices.
much personal or company information Finally there is the question of what to
on their *portable devices. ‘Research do with the phone when you decide to
has shown us that palm top computers, upgrade. Mobile devices are now rarely
PDAs, and smart phones are often used used for over eighteen months, but how
to store personal data – from addresses do you safely *dispose of your smart
and bank account details of employees phone? Two recent studies suggest
to company records. This can include that mobile devices bought second
details of *ongoing negotiations and in hand on websites like eBay still contain
one case *unkind comments about other sensitive data belonging to their original
employees. This is dangerous because owners. There is also a problem with
it means that other people can get their how companies dispose of phones.
hands on this sensitive data quite easily.’ ‘Employees think that someone in the
Jones’ colleague Giuseppe Contadino company will make their phones safe
suggests there are three main ways when they hand them in, while the
that this data can fall into the wrong company expects the employees to wipe
hands. Firstly, these portable devices them clean. And it’s actually very difficult
are usually very small and so are easily to completely wipe these new devices
lost or stolen, so other people can then clean’, explains Contadino.
access your data. Ten mobile phones or So what do the experts suggest? Phil
PDAs are handed in at Heathrow airport Jones gives three pieces of advice. ‘If
every day. ‘You may think that you are you keep the amount of personal or
protected because you have a username company data to a minimum then you
and passwords, but it is surprising reduce the risk. Also make sure your
how quickly hackers can get around hand-held is protected with anti-virus
those basic security measures’, warns software, and finally if you are not sure,
Contadino. contact a security specialist who can
The second way data can be stolen is help you make your portable device as
over the Internet. ‘You would never use safe as possible.’
Glossary
*access = the opportunity to look at something
*consultant = someone who advises other people on something
*dispose of = throw something away; get rid of something
*ongoing negotiations = business discussions that are still happening
*portable devices = pieces of equipment that can be carried
*unkind comments = things that have been said that are not nice
© Oxford University Press 2017 Business Result Second edition Pre-intermediate
Reading file 2
Exercises
1 Work with a partner and discuss these questions.
1 Do you own a mobile phone?
2 What information do you keep on it?
3 Is it a smart phone? If not would you like a smart phone?
4 Is using a smart phone safer than using a PC? Why? / Why not?
2 Read the text quickly. Compare your answers to question 4 in 1 to the
information in the text.
3 Read the text again and find out why the following words are used in the
text.
Example: pocket: Having the Internet in your pocket may make your life easier.
1 bank account details:
2 Heathrow:
3 eBay:
4 hackers:
5 eighteen months:
6 wipe clean:
4 The author uses the word hand a number of times. Match the phrases in
bold in the text to definitions 1–5.
1 not new; owned by someone else before:
2 small enough to be in your hand while being used:
3 to give something to a person in authority, especially a piece of work or
something that has been lost:
4 when something becomes controlled or owned by somebody who doesn’t have
permission to do so:
5 to find or get something:
5 Work with a partner. Make a new sentence for each of the phrases in 4.
6 Read the text again and answer these questions in your own words.
1 Why should having a smart phone make your life easier?
2 What are the three ways that people’s data can fall into the wrong hands?
3 How can you make your smart phone safer?
7 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.
8 Work with a partner and discuss these questions.
1 Do people in your country know about the dangers of keeping data on a phone?
2 Would it be easy to follow the experts’ advice?
3 Is it usual for people in your country to change their mobile phone every
eighteen months?
4 How often do you change your phone? What are your reasons for changing?
