Neil Munroe, spokesman for financial information provider Equifax, explains that wireless communications handsets hold a growing amount of data due to their inclusion of software applications.
"Handsets are incredibly valuable - not just for the handsets themselves, but for what is on them," he says.
"It is important that people adopt the same level of security as they would do with a laptop."
Mr Munroe estimates that the rollout of near-field communications for contactless payment will ultimately depend on support from major manufacturers.
However, with Apple already looking into the technology, he adds that popularity on the iPhone, as well as on Research in Motion's BlackBerry smartphones, could be set to rise sharply in the years to come.
Posted by Simon Jones
