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How to protect mobile devices against cyber threats

June 01, 2021
Mobile device attacks are incredibly increasing, as cybercriminals are taking advantage of the pandemic context.
 
According to CheckPoint’s Mobile Security Report 2021, mobile devices should concern everyone, both employees and companies. The data shows that 97% of organizations were reached via mobile in 2020.
 
In other words, hackers can access accounts or corporate data through mobile applications and devices used by employees.
 
In this context, cybersecurity teams are responsible for finding gaps in operating systems, mitigating risks, and taking assertive precautions to avoid future incidents.

To better understand the dimension of mobile attacks, we listed some exciting topics about how these intrusions can happen, and techniques for hardening security controls to mobile devices. Check out!

Mobile is profitable

Mobile devices are considered an excellent attack vector for hackers. Organizations must do a continuous search for vulnerabilities to reduce the risks and stop attack attempts.
Mobile has become a problem in the current scenario. It’s an instrument that favors cybercriminals’ actions and contributes to capturing information from almost every company worldwide.

Several applications are considered unsafe due to their uses. According to CheckPoint’s study, vulnerabilities are commonly found in operating systems such as Android and IOS and applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and Google, through the Google Play Library or Apple Store.

Mobile threats

Data from CheckPoint’s report show that cybercriminals view mobile devices as a fantastic attack surface. The report found that:
  • 97% of organizations faced mobile threats in 2020;
  • 46% of organizations had at least one team member who downloaded a malicious mobile application that threatened network and data;
  • 75% of a company’s mobile devices have been compromised through corporate MDM.
With several large APT groups specifically targeting mobile, organizations must constantly improve these devices’ protection.

How to protect mobile devices

Remember that smartphones can be efficient attack vectors. Due to the large number of cyber invasions related to mobile devices, companies must take appropriate measures to get out of hackers’ sight.
One way to circumvent these attacks is to install levels of security controls on mobile devices, even if the rule is not the same applied to other organization’s devices.
Some other measures to be taken are:
  • Keep mobile device’s operating system and applications up to date;
  • Maintain MDM solutions regularly corrected;
  • Educate employees through a security awareness training program;
  • Minimize user interaction with malicious email and websites.

Mobile protection system

The idea of ​​incorporating a platform compatible with mobile threat protection is one of the ways to keep the company safe. The platform must protect team members’ mobile devices in all possible vectors, including networks, applications, and Mobile Operating Systems.
Protection tools must also be perfectly integrated into the mobile environment without impacting the users’ experience or privacy.
A mobile protection system must have five main functionalities:
  • Prevent the download of malicious apps;
  • Prevent phishing attacks in all applications;
  • Block infected devices from accessing corporate applications;
  • Detect advanced techniques of jailbreaking, rooting, and unlocking devices, as well as operating exploits system.

Conclusion

Attacks against team member’s mobile devices are increasingly happening. Since the beginning of the pandemic, numerous episodes have undermined corporate security systems, compromising sensitive data and ruining the reputation built by organizations over the years.
Security and IT teams should be on the lookout. It is necessary to implement platforms for a continuous search of vulnerabilities in systems and devices and provide security training for every team member to guarantee that these threats will not be successful in your company.
Get in touch with Hivecore experts and start protecting your business right now.

Source: HiveCore Enterprise Solutions 

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