Towards secure mobile cloud computing: A survey

Mobile cloud computing is gaining popularity among mobile users. The ABI Research predicts that the number of mobile cloud computing subscribers is expected to grow from 42.8 million (1.1% of total mobile users) in 2008 to 998 million (19% of total mobile users) in 2014. Despite the hype achieved by mobile cloud computing, the growth of mobile cloud computing subscribers is still below expectations. According to the recent survey conducted by the International Data Corporation, most IT Executives and CEOs are not interested in adopting such services due to the risks associated with security and privacy. The security threats have become a hurdle in the rapid adaptability of the mobile cloud computing paradigm. Significant efforts have been devoted in research organizations and academia to build secure mobile cloud computing environments and infrastructures. In spite of the efforts, there are a number of loopholes and challenges that still exist in the security policies of mobile cloud computing. This literature review: (a) highlights the current state of the art work proposed to secure mobile cloud computing infrastructures, (b) identifies the potential problems, and (c) provides a taxonomy of the state of the art. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.