Security minister warns of mobile phone hacker risk

Lord West said he would not use one of the new breed of multi-media mobiles because of the risk to confidential data.

"It's one reason why I have this Stone Age phone," said Lord West, the former First Sea Lord appointed by Gordon Brown to head government moves to tighten national security against terrorists, foreign powers and criminals.

His comment suggests the contacts, memos and emails of businessmen and City workers who carry iPhones and similar devices may not be completely secure.

The peer was launching an updated National Security Strategy, including the appointment of the UK's first cyber security chief, civil servant Neil Thompson, to lead the fight to protect businesses and government from online attack.

Lord West, who carries a Nokia business mobile, said fashionable smart mobiles were at risk if they were linked to the internet. He said: "It's not just that I don't get mugged because no one wants it but, actually, when you get one of those marvellous new ones that you touch and everything else, you have opened yourself up to all the internet issues. Suddenly, people can get access to all sorts of data."

He did not highlight any particular brand, but the iPhone, made by Apple, boasts a touch-sensitive screen and internet connection.

Security experts said the potential risk, though small, was not understood by most owners.

Charlie Miller, an American analyst who claims he was the first to hack into the original iPhone just two weeks after its launch in 2007, said: "He is right. These smart phones are about as secure as your laptop, which means people can break into them. The iPhone is more secure than some but if you are paranoid, don't store any personal or sensitive information on one."

Chinese spies and hackers are said to be the fastest growing threat. MPs were warned last year that they were targeting parliament's computers to steal data and MI5 has warned firms that commercial secrets are at risk.