Your Pocket’s Weak Link: The Hidden Threats on Your Mobile Device

Top Mobile Device Security Threats

1. Mobile phishing scams: Attackers can leverage SMS messages, chat services, social media sites, dating applications, and even QR codes to deceive unsuspecting victims.

2. Risky and Malicious Apps: Some apps request permissions well beyond what they actually need to run, then harvest confidential details and metadata or install malware from unsuspecting users.

3. Device Theft and Data Breach Risks: Mobile device theft can lead to the disclosure of confidential information such as passwords and documents belonging to an organization.

4. Operating System and App Vulnerabilities: No operating system is perfect and employees might own outdated hardware, which won’t receive any new security patches that expose the device to malware.

How to Protect Your Staff’s Mobile Devices

• Educate users on common mobile security threats and their solutions such as showing them what a phishing message looks like, updating their applications and periodically changing their passwords.

• Create common sense BYOD policies such as limited sharing of sensitive data.

• Implement a comprehensive Mobile Device Management (MDM) and mobile endpoint security solutions like TrendMicro Mobile Security.