Page 111 - Cyber Defense eMagazine September 2023

These stats underscore the increasing need for organizations to prioritize mobile security measures.
Employees across organizations, from the most junior-level staff to the C-suite, are conducting business
via their mobile devices, checking work emails while sharing an Uber ride, charging company devices at
public charging stations in airport terminals or hotel lobbies, or logging into work apps via unsecured Wi-
Fi networks that often lack adequate protections.

Why Cybercriminals Target Mobile Devices

In light of these travel trends and employee behaviors, it’s no surprise that 30% of zero-day exploits in
2021 targeted mobile phones and tablets—and that nearly half (46%) of small businesses reported a
cybersecurity compromise involving a mobile device, according to Verizon’s research.

Why do cyberattackers love mobile devices so much? To start, they provide much of the same access
as traditional endpoints and often serve as an authentication tool, allowing cybercriminals to more easily
infiltrate an entire network through an unsecured smartphone or tablet.

And it’s not just travelers putting their business organizations at risk. The cloud data and applications that
cybersecurity platforms protect are also left vulnerable if remote workers log into the same systems from
an unsecured Wi-Fi connection.

Because hackers realize mobile devices are less likely to be protected, they have shifted their focus to
smartphones and tablets as a preferred entry point when orchestrating an attack. Cybercriminals view
mobile device vulnerabilities as the low-hanging fruit of cybercrime. Email phishing scams that play out
over someone’s smartphone, zero-day mobile exploits, and other malicious mobile applications are all
becoming more sophisticated. And while traditional mobile device management (MDM) solutions offer
protection for managed devices, most fail to detect threats across all endpoints, mobile devices,
networks, and cloud environments.

As cybercriminals get more savvy and develop new tools to compromise mobile devices and networks,
security leaders must take extra steps and implement additional layers of protection to safeguard their
systems.

5 Steps Security Leaders Can Take Now to Protect Mobile Devices

1. Keep mobile devices secure: Regularly update company devices with the latest software patches
and security updates. Implement a focused mobile device security app across all employee and
contractor devices to protect against mobile device, network, phishing and app attacks before damage
can be done. IT and security teams should continuously monitor their organization’s mobile devices to
ensure the most current applications and security measures are deployed.

2. Prioritize cybersecurity training to boost employee awareness: For smaller businesses that have
employees who are more likely to use personal devices for work, it can be difficult to maintain visibility
into their mobile usage habits or safeguard endpoints from attacks. That is why employee education on

Cyber Defense eMagazine – September 2023 Edition 111
Copyright © 2023, Cyber Defense Magazine. All rights reserved worldwide.