A few years ago, if your phone happened to be hacked, someone would only gain access to your contacts and text conversations. Now, however, our lives revolve around our mobile devices as we not only use them to communicate but to pay for our morning coffee, track our workouts, watch videos, browse the internet, store photos and access files.
The fact they hold so much personal data has made them an attractive target for online criminals. And, if it’s a work device, it could also contain sensitive information, or give criminals access to your company network. Nowadays, it’s more important than ever that your devices are safe and secure.
Why is mobile security important?
Our team has over 15 years of experience working with mobile services, and deals in everything from configuring the software on them to making sure they have screen protectors. In that time, we’ve seen devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops become both more affordable and more portable, meaning some organisations have stopped using desktop computers altogether! Mobile devices have become more popular because they make it easier for anyone to work from any location, but at the same time, they can also be easy pickings for hackers. More devices means more opportunities for hackers to find a way into your system and make off with your data.
Since the start of the pandemic, we saw an increase in demand for our mobile deployment services with more people working remotely and we were glad to assist businesses when they needed it most. Our expert technicians helped deploy the right devices and hardware to the right users, exactly when they needed them, so employees could continue to work undisturbed. However, not all devices have the same strength of security - some might not even have passwords at all - and wireless internet can make them even more vulnerable and susceptible to attacks. Since Covid-19, the security of mobile devices has become increasingly important because of the recent shift in the workplace landscape forcing many to work remotely for the first time and access their business’ private documents and information from home rather than at the office.
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What are some of the dangers out there?
A recent study by Check Point Research showed that last year, organisations were facing 50% more attacks every week than they had in 2020, with some fending off 925 a week by the end of the year. One of the biggest threats lurking online is ransomware, which has been on the rise recently. Put simply, ransomware is a type of malware that can be used to encrypt the victim’s files - criminals will then demand payment, or a ransom, from the victim before decrypting them. These attacks have become both more common and more sophisticated since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Another particularly malicious example, and one that’s becoming more and more widespread, is BRATA. The name stands for Brazilian Remote Access Tool Android, but don’t let that put you at ease - while it was first observed in Brazil, it’s since been spotted in phishing scams all over the world. BRATA is often spread through texts encouraging victims to download an app. Once the app is on their phone, the malware can take over the phone and do everything from changing your password to stealing your banking details. It’s also evolving, as hackers update it to avoid detection. Some of the latest variants of BRATA are capable of tracking your GPS, as well as performing a factory reset on your device and wiping everything from it.
What can you do to protect yourself?
At FluidOne, we’re proud to offer a wide range of mobile solutions to our loyal customer base, with services such as delivering handsets, getting you the right SIM card so you can carry on with your work anywhere in the world, and installing mobile device management software - but none of these services would be as effective as they are without the proper cyber security in place. That’s where our expert cyber partners at Cyber Security Associates can help, offering a host of solutions to protect you and your devices and keep you safe from online criminals. As well as 24/7 support from their team in case of any possible cyber attacks, one of their solutions on offer is Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security. With Lookout, we can help offer protection to all devices on your network, from cloud servers and routers to laptops and smartphones.
An average employee is likely to access multiple mobile devices throughout their day, such as a company laptop, mobile phone, tablet and more. In an average-sized organisation, this means there are potentially hundreds and thousands more endpoints that need protection, and Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security can be scaled to match. It offers protection for devices running iOS, Android, and Chrome OS allowing you to use your mobile device at all times, wherever you are, without worrying about malware or threats arising just from clicking on the wrong link.
If you’re not focusing on your mobile security, then you should! And, you can start by making sure the software on your devices is always as up-to-date as possible, or always encrypting your most sensitive data. However, if you want to take things one step further, and give yourself the best kind of protection, then we can help out.
To find out more about what we can do for you, check out some of our mobile security solutions or get in touch with us for help and advice.
