With mobile devices increasingly functioning as digital ID to access enterprise services and data through two-factor authentication (2FA), the threat plane is expanded. Whereas previously you would have protected access to a laptop, now a secondary device is in play.
Mobile devices have never before been such a source of vulnerability or the target of such directed attacks because if you can gain access to them you gain access to a system.
Security Implications of Mobile Devices
So, what are the security implications of mobile devices for SMBs?
Consider that in 2020, 75% of organizations around the world experienced a phishing attack, with that number rising each year. Of the 51 zero-day vulnerabilities discovered in 2021, 16 were mobile-specific and there are over 35 million samples of mobile malware known to exist.
Moreover, 90% of all breaches start with a phishing email...and 60% of all business emails are now read on mobile devices. Given the current reality of a workforce that divides its time between in-office and at-home working, a mobile device becomes a go-to for responding quickly to work email wherever you are. And due to a lack of security awareness, or simply being rushed, it becomes easy for people to accidentally respond to phishing attacks or SMishing attacks (SMS-based phishing) without realizing it until it’s too late.
Protecting Your Mobile Device Endpoints
There are many ways to protect mobile devices and many companies have responded to...