People need to be able to collaborate and work remotely easily in today’s working world. What many organisations do not realise are the security risks this creates for the leakage of corporate data via mobile devices, which could prove to be a very expensive and also embarrassing situation to clean up.
The new threats
With access to millions of WiFi hotspots and apps that leak PII (personally identifiable information) mobile security threats have never been more real. Hackers have shifted their focus from desktops to mobile devices and traditional web security solutions.
We were reminded all about the threats to mobile security at our Rethink Tech event last week when Aatish Pattni from Check Point discussed the increased sophistication of cyber threats including hidden, polymorphic and multiple entry point attackers and how they access company assets.
Hidden threats
Mobile devices are both in communication with the organisation and with the backend enterprise systems. Much of the discussion about mobile security focuses on the risk of the data being downloaded from these devices, but there is an even greater risk arising from the verification data on the device, which is used to access backend systems.
For example, if an organisation's MDM is used to set up VPN connections to internal networks from smartphones or tablets, and users use ActiveSync to access the server, then these devices have the keys to open the VPN connections to all networks and the passwords to gain access to any machine on that network. If the PIN code of the device is compromised, which can happen within 60 seconds, there is a risk for information on the entire corporate network.
Do you have the tools and technology to be secure?
Here at Intercity Technology we help many organisations protect information of mobile devices that could be used for subsequent attacks. Our mobile device management solutions allow the right controls to be placed on identity, applications and data.
However, mobile device management does not go far enough to protect against the multiple threat vectors mobile devices are faced with. Through our partner Wandera, we can provide a higher level of security for mobile data, both protecting devices from data loss as well as malicious sites and man-in-the-middle attacks.
Because the business use of mobile devices is rising, the need for mobile security will only increase, and become increasingly more complex. IT departments and management should recognise the risks and prepare their organisations for threats against their corporate data, customer data and their reputation.
For more information register for our upcoming webinar on June 14th presented by Suzan Sakarya, Wandera:
Call us to learn more.
