Research studies show that introducing mobile initiatives to increase mobility can have a positive impact on a business, as it helps improve productivity. Organizational mobility allows users or staff to access the company’s system remotely.
Users have increasingly started to use mobile devices to access the systems from remote locations. The growing number of mobile devices increases the risk of mobile security threats. The most common mobile security threat today is mobile malware.
Mobile security threats are rising every year, in 2014, around 3.5 million pieces of malware were found on more than 1 million user devices. Within 3 years, renowned antivirus company Kaspersky started processing 360,000 malicious files per day. 78% of those malicious files were malware programs, most of which were targeted at mobile devices.
The biggest problem with a mobile phone being hacked is that the other devices that are connected to the phone may also get attacked. Malware can easily spread from the hacked phone to a tablet or another smartphone that is on the same network.
Below mentioned are some of the top mobile security threats you should be wary of in 2021 to ensure your business and mobile devices are protected:
- Data Leak
Most of the time mobile devices are responsible for unintentional leakage of data. Riskware apps are a big threat as users end up granting broad permissions without checking security.
These are apps that are free and are displayed in official app stores as advertised. These mobile apps send out personal and corporate data to remote servers, where the data is mined by advertisers and cybercriminals.
Data leakage also happens through hostile enterprise-signed mobile apps. Mobile malware programs use the distribution code native to popular mobile operating systems like iOS and Android for moving valuable data through corporate networks without raising any red flags or security alerts.
- Unsecured Wi-Fi
Public Wi Fi networks are usually less secure as compared to private networks. It is difficult to determine who set up the public network and whether the connection is secured with encryption or whether it is being accessed or monitored by someone.
With more employees working remotely in the current pandemic situation, if employees use public Wi Fi networks (from cafés or common workspaces) to access the company’s servers, it could present a risk to the company’s data security.
Cybercriminals try to set up Wi Fi networks that look authentic and try to capture data passing through their system. They may create fake Wi Fi hotspots in public spaces using legitimate network names, convincing people to willingly connect to the network.
- Spoofing the Network
Hackers set up fake access points that look like Wi Fi networks in high-traffic public places like cafes, airports etc. They name the access points with common names like “Free Airport Wi-Fi” or “Cafe” to encourage users to connect.
In some cases, the hackers ask the users to create an “account” for accessing the free network. They use the personal information and email id, password combination to compromise the user’s secure information
- Phishing Attacks
Mobile devices are the target of most phishing attacks and their users are more vulnerable as they tend to check their email and other apps in real-time. They open and read the emails on their mobile devices when received making them more susceptible as most of the email apps display less information to fit in the smaller screen sizes.
For example, when an email is opened on the app it does not display the sender’s name unless the header information bar is expanded. The user can be a victim of a phishing attack if they end up clicking unfamiliar email links.
- Broken Cryptography
Broken cryptography is known to happen when weak encryption algorithms are used by app developers or when they fail to implement strong encryption. The developers use familiar encryption algorithms to speed up the app development process.
A hacker can easily exploit the vulnerabilities and crack passwords to gain access. Sometimes developers use highly secure algorithms but end up having flaws in the code that the attackers can use to modify high-level app functions.
- Internet of Things (IoT) Devices
Today the number of mobile devices accessing an organization’s systems are ranging from mobile phones and tablets to wearable tech smartwatches and physical devices like Alexa.
Most of the latest IoT mobile devices have IP addresses. When these devices are connected to the company’s network, the hackers can use the IP addresses of the IoT devices to gain access to the company’s network over the internet.
- Spyware
Spyware is used by attackers for collecting data. It is generally installed on a mobile device when mobile users click on a malicious advertisement or when users download something unintentionally.
When employees use their mobile devices to access the company network, the spyware will allow the attacker to download or access the corporate data if that device is connected to company systems.
- Browser exploits
Browser exploits may take advantage of security flaws in the mobile browser. They may also work against other applications functioning on the browser like the PDF readers.
A sudden change in the mobile browser’s homepage or search page is a sign that your browser is exploited.
Safeguarding against Mobile security threats
With the increasing mobile security threats, to protect the mobile devices and data, users need to understand the common threat and be ready to handle them and be prepared for the next generation of malicious activity.
Having a robust internet security solution will help provide comprehensive coverage to protect mobile devices, IoT devices and internet connection points.