February 25, 2020
86 percent of employees access company emails via their mobile devices.
With smartphone penetration at an all-time high, mobile device sare one of the most susceptible mediums that hackers target for cyberattacks. Nearly every individual has a smartphone with them at all times. Throughout a normal day, a smartphone user is exposed to many networks; this includes unprotected WIFI networks, hotspots and more. When a user connects to an unprotected network, their data can be easily accessed. Additionally, smartphones are one of the most valuable assets. If a person unlocks a person’s smartphone, they can get access to sensitive information like credit cards, IDs, emails and passwords for all their websites.
How can mobile device security affect your business?
Accessing work via smartphones: When your employees access work email or documents over their smartphone, you are at risk for malware, ransomware, phishing and other cyberattacks. This risk is especially increased when employees are connected to risky, unprotected networks.
Existing apps on employee’s smartphones: Your employees may be currently using risky apps that have extensive insight on users. This can lead to the app developer being able to see work related activities that your employee is doing while using their smartphone.
A mobile breach to your business is costly: Malware and ransomware that result from smartphone breaches can be very costly. The average cost for a small business affected by a mobile breach in 2019 was well over $100,000. Many small to medium sized businesses cannot afford that kind of financial damage; this wouldn’t include any lawyer fees or the cost of business during downtime. To make matters worse, customer and business data is likely lost or held for ransom in these kinds of instances.
Safe Practices:
Passwords & Codes: It seems intuitive to add passwords on work-related files, but many businesses overlook this. For sensitive files and documents, there should be a layer of protection like a code/password. This prevents 3rd parties from accessing important information in case they access an employee’s account. The password/code should be strong with a varying combination of letters, numbers and special characters.
Virtual Private Networks (VPN): VPNs can be a great way to manage remote access for your business. Whether it’s emails, projects or any other work-related activity, VPNs allow you to have control over who can access information away from the office networks. VPNs allow for encryption and you can monitor online sessions. A unique IP address will be issued to employees accessing the VPN and hackers aren’t able to intercept any data during VPN sessions.
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