Managing mobile risk: threat management and security

Table of Contents

  1. Summary
  2. Mobile security threats
    1. Risk = (threats) x (vulnerability) x (time) x (cost)
    2. Mobility: data at risk
    3. Vertical vulnerability
  3. State of mobile security
  4. Applying comprehensive mobile security management
  5. Key takeaways
  6. About Lawrence M. Walsh

1. Summary

For much of the last five years, mobile device and application producers, as well as consumers, hid behind the false notion that smartphones and tablets were not as vulnerable to malware and hackers as conventional PCs and networks. Why? Because they are not as interesting, their operating systems are more exotic, and adoption had not reached critical mass.

None of these assumptions though was ever true. Malware targeting mobile devices is growing exponentially, increasing as much as 614 percent in 2013, according to Juniper Networks, and placing data and connected networks at risk of compromise and exploitation. And simple device theft/loss, which happens thousands of times a day in New York City alone, opens data and attached accounts to compromise and exploitation.

The state of mobile security today is uneven. Some enterprises are aware of the risks to their data and operations by compromised mobile devices; others are blissfully naïve or accepting of the risk because they do not want to give up the perks of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) or mobile technology. And still certain segments allow limited mobile adoption but do not realize the full potential of the mobile revolution.

The adoption of mobile security measures is more than applying minimal safeguards against viruses and hacks; it is about enabling greater utility and productivity. Security mitigates mobile risks and enables the potential for expanded business applications. With security in place, businesses can get more out of their mobility investments, release new products and services, and create revenue streams.

This report reviews:

  • The state of mobile security threats
  • The benefits derived from mobile devices in business applications
  • The tools and techniques for mobile risk management
  • The need for employing mobile security and device management
  • How businesses can get more out of their mobile device investments through security

Thumbnail image courtesy of Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock

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