Have you ever thought about mobile security for your business? Well you should? Mobile security is going to be a huge concern for companies in the next few years because of the masses of new smartphones and tablets coming to the market.
According to a Q4 2010 report done by McAfee, cybercriminals have a “window of opportunity” to attack multiple mobile platforms. The biggest of the threats is Nokia’s Symbian OS. The report also included the fact that there is a direct correlation between device popularity and criminal activity.
The new mobile devices are hitting the market months before security software even exists for them. The sheer amount of mobile devices without security could lead hackers to target these devices for botnet infections. According to McAfee there has been a 46 percent increase in the amount of threats than in 2009.
What can you do? Well at BVA, we believe that your network is first priority whether it be your server, workstations, or mobile devices. We suggest that you thoroughly evaluate the devices that you are allowing on your network. Don’t be afraid to do a little research and look into possible security holes that may be found, or if anyone has found issues with the devices. It is not a bad thing to standardize the devices that are allowed on your network, especially when there are so many that it is hard to keep up with them all. It is always a good idea to ask your IT vendor if devices are safe.
Also, establishing a company wide mobile security policy is another great feature. When using ActiveSync, you have the option of setting certain security features on your mobile devices, such as allowing or denying the use of removable storage, cameras, Wi-Fi, internet sharing and more. You can also allow or deny the use of unprovisional devices and enforce password policies. In today’s small to medium sized businesses, these policies are often overlooked and can potentially put your network and data at risk.
