Hand-held devices easy to hack say experts

Hand-held computers used to store phone numbers, medical and credit-card information leave millions of gadget-lovers fully exposed to identity-theft and other crimes, say US security experts.

Software was now widely available to allow people to steal passwords and other information from popular Palm-based computers, especially when they connected to other computers to share data, said Bryan Glancey, a manager at wireless security services provider MobileArmor of St Louis, Missouri.

Although millions of people now rely on handy electronic scheduling and address books, few carry sufficient security protections to prevent identity theft if the hand-held is lost or stolen, as is commonplace.

Glancey said simple programmes existed to uncover even hidden data. Other software allowed people to steal data while remaining at some distance from the victims.