Industry reports from cybersecurity firms such as McAfee and Kaspersky Lab have identified that smartphone and tablet malware attacks are becoming increasingly widespread and more sophisticated.
Most business professionals use smart devices these days. These electronic rectangles are basically small computers and can be infected with malware in the same way as a PC. Usually through malicious weblinks or attachments sent via email. As people are now using smart devices to access work emails, make payments, etc. there is an increased risk for businesses. Another risk exists where an employee’s device is hacked and the company’s passwords and remote access logins and stolen. This can allow hackers to get inside a businesses’ firewall and spread malware to computers across the entire company network.
How to prevent this
So, what should businesses do to protect themselves? Mobile and tablet antivirus tools can help to a degree, and all company data should be backed up regularly. That said, it is more important to teach your employees the basics of mobile security to eliminate putting themselves or the firm at risk in the first place. Basic training can involve teaching your employees how to identify suspicious emails and to potentially dangerous links on their smartphones.
Fake apps are another serious risk. Cybercriminals often design apps that imitate legitimate apps or they might offer a game or utility app for free. In order to minimise this risk, your firm should create and publish an internal list of approved apps. Employees that use company devices should receive regular communication regarding which apps are approved for use on company devices. Make it clear that no other apps can be installed on a company device without express permission from the relevant person(s).
Finally, your business should have monitoring tools in place. These can check for signs of unusual activity on the network, such as remote logins from unfamiliar IP addresses, large files moving out of the network over email, etc. If you have any doubts at all about your systems we recommend contacting an external IT Consultant.
November 19th, 2019
