6 Mobile Device Security Best Practices Your Org Should Implement Today

Companies with remote workforces and work-from-home policies require improved mobile device security measures. That’s because hackers continue to prey on organizations whose employees don’t follow established best practices, resulting in a recent spike in data breaches.

In 2022, cybercriminals managed to breach 2.2 million cellular phones, tablets, laptops and a variety of handheld products. That figure represents nine percent of all worldwide cyberattacks. During the fourth quarter of 2023 alone, nearly 440,000 malware packages infected personal handheld communication items. Although malicious software infestations have declined from the height of the pandemic, mobile device security failures appear to be on the rise once again.

What is Mobile Security?

Often referred to as wireless or endpoint security, insulating remotely connected devices is of paramount importance. Smartphones, laptops and even wearables can be leveraged by online thieves to infiltrate a business network. The goal of mobile device security is to prevent unauthorized access to personally identifiable information, online accounts and employer networks. These are key components of mobile device security.

• Controlling Access: Set up authentication measures to ensure unauthorized people cannot gain access to text messages, photos, videos, e-commerce accounts, online banking or password-protected business systems.
• Securing Applications: The applications used in handheld and other remote devices can be vulnerable to malware and zero-day attacks. Hackers troll the internet looking for software packages to time out and insert malware in unpatched applications whenever possible.
• Protected Connectivity: The Wi-Fi in coffee shop chains, libraries and other off-site locations is not generally considered secure. Hackers can use public Wi-Fi to gain knowledge that allows them to defeat protective efforts. That’s why specific technologies and best practices are part of mobile device security measures.

It may go without saying, but employees and independent contractors need to protect anything that can be used to log in to a corporate network. Keep in mind that hackers are criminals who will just as easily steal a physical mobile device as breach one.

What is a Common Mobile Device Security Threat?

Perhaps the most common mobile device security threat involves the ability of hackers to use remotely connected products as a proverbial back door. Bad actors have reportedly slimmed the average time needed to move from a compromised smartphone to a business network from 84 to 64 minutes. That means hackers are gaining the upper hand in terms of siphoning off valuable and confidential assets before they can be identified, contained and expelled. These rank among the mobile device security threats that pose the gravest danger to organizations that embrace remote workforces.

1: Phishing Schemes

To say that cybercriminals’ favorite attack method is a phishing scheme would be something of an understatement. According to a recent report, 41 percent of all malware and ransomware incidents involved some form of phishing. While phishing scams are often associated with poorly drafted emails and corny payment narratives, more sophisticated threat actors have developed innovative methods, such as the following.

• Spear Phishing: Digital con artists conduct somewhat cursory research about a company leader. Pulling information off social media and professional profiles, they personalize the phishing message to create a sense of confidence and trust.
• Smishing: Following the same principle as email phishing, smishing uses text messages as its vehicle.
• Whaling: This approach forgoes casting a wide net and focuses on a high-profile target, i.e., a CEO or someone else in a leadership role. The criminal thinking is that ascertaining this person’s login credentials would provide quick access to the most valuable digital information.
• Vishing: Cybercriminals also make personal contact and employ bots to make convincing scam phone calls. Their goal is to prompt people to reveal confidential information such as Social Security numbers, credit card accounts or a business network username and password.

The success rate of phishing schemes remains high enough for hackers to target employees via their mobile login devices. The technology, retail and finance sectors are reportedly the most targeted.

2: Data Leakage

The unauthorized exposure of sensitive and confidential information, known as data leakage, has been something of a thorn in the side of digital security professionals in recent years. Employees who have permission to use vetted mobile devices tend to download apps that pose a clear and present danger.

Those known as “riskware” apps ask users to agree to grant broad device access. Few, if any, read the lengthy contract before clicking “agree.” Just as advertisers and search engines mine your online traffic, cybercriminals can dig deep into your online presence. In other cases, human error results in someone transmitting or unwittingly divulging corporate secrets online.

3: Unsecured Wi-Fi

Hot spots are the digital world’s version of a minefield. Users may have no problems working over a latte in a chain coffee shop. But savvy threat actors know how to trick everyday people into signing up for Wi-Fi on a look-alike platform. This type of website spoofing has proven an effective way to defeat mobile device security measures. That’s largely because an unsuspecting employee literally signed up to get hacked.

4: Malvertising

Advertising enticements have always captured the interest of consumers who are determined to get a discount on products and services. Cybercriminals have evolved from setting up phony websites to generating digital ads. The trick is to lure everyday people into clicking on an advertisement that is laced with malicious viruses, spyware or ransomware. These inducements result in the mobile device user downloading files that allow thieves to monitor your online use, learn login credentials or take complete control.

5: Bluetooth Vulnerability

Online criminals are keenly aware of the fact that most people leave their Bluetooth access settings on all of the time. Skilled cybercriminals have developed ways to breach phones via Bluetooth without asking them for permission. Using specialized tactics, Bluetooth connections can be exploited when hackers get close enough to them. Along with any employee working in a café or library, cybercriminals have breached hospitals and manufacturing plants using Bluetooth connections.

What are the Consequences of Mobile Device Security Failures?

It’s important for industry leaders to thoughtfully consider remote workforce policies, procedures and best practices. The average cost of a data breach in the U.S. — the world’s highest — hovers around $9.36 million. Along with the immediate financial hit of a malware or ransomware attack, organizations can suffer in a number of other ways.

When your network has been compromised, information such as employee names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and confidential health and wellness data could be stolen. The critical data of suppliers, independent contractors, consumer credit cards, shareholders and others in your orbit may be exposed.

When this information finds its way to the Dark Web, you can anticipate a civil lawsuit will follow. Perhaps the most debilitating aspect of a mobile device security failure involves suffering from a tarnished reputation. It’s not uncommon for an enterprise to close due to lost consumer confidence. It’s mission-critical to implement a cybersecurity plan that includes mobile device vetting and adherence to best practices.

Mobile Device Security Best Practices

The jury may be out in terms of deciding whether remote workforces are more or less productive than in-office staffing. From a CFO’s or HR department head’s perspective, work-from-home policies deliver key benefits. Companies require a smaller brick-and-mortar footprint, saving money on lease expenses and utility bills, among others. Human resources departments also gain access to talented people outside a reasonable commuter range. If businesses are to maximize the upside of having employees contribute off-site, they’ll need to adopt the following mobile device security measures.

1: Multi-Factor Authentication

Few mobile security measures have frustrated hackers more than multi-factor authentication. This cybersecurity defense requires authorized personnel to enter their username and password and then field a code from a secondary resource. Even if a cyber thief learns someone’s login credentials, it’s nearly impossible to get hold of that one-time code.

2: Biometric Authentication

This mobile device security protection uses an employee’s physical attributes to log in to a cellular phone or network. Things such as fingerprints, facial recognition and voices can be detected by advanced technologies. In some cases, companies replace traditional usernames and passwords with biometrics. In others, it serves as an added layer of protection, much like multi-factor authentication.

3: Mobile Device Management (MDM) Solutions

One of the hot-trending security practices involves Microsoft Intune. This cloud-based unified endpoint management solution helps legitimate network users access company assets and communications, such as email. Microsoft Intune is considered an aspect of the software giant’s Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) option. It allows organizations to manage BYOD products as well as company-owned devices. It also provides opportunities to update apps and avoid zero-day attacks.

4: Provide Public Wi-Fi Alternatives

There are more than a few viable alternatives to employees hopping on coffee shop Wi-Fi offerings. Companies can issue virtual private networks (VPNs), aka mobile hot spots. This practice is particularly helpful for remote workers who move around, like digital nomads. Safe, vetted VPNs allow people to work from anywhere without having to worry about getting hacked.

5: Encrypted Data Transfers

Everyday email and text messages may not seem like they pose a risk. Truth be told, spyware can monitor your electronic communications to learn usernames, passwords and even trade secrets. It’s an unnecessary vulnerability that can be cured by integrating encryption software. Even if a hacker manages to infiltrate a mobile device, the data transfers remain safe and secure.

6: Remote Lock and Data Wipe

It’s essential to have the ability to clean a mobile device that has been lost, stolen or compromised. The practice is not necessarily the easiest to navigate because it involves getting worker approval. If you and your staff members can come to terms with cleansing devices that have fallen into the wrong hands, remote lock and wipe policies provide a fallback position.

Implementing a mobile device security policy tasks employers with publishing guidance and educating the workforce. Staff members usually require cybersecurity awareness training, trial experience using items such as multi-factor authentication, data encryption and learning to recognize telltale signs of phishing attacks. Organizations enjoy significant benefits from ongoing cybersecurity awareness training in the form of short videos, updates and alerts.

As a part of your mobile device security best practices package, education and training change the culture. You’ll no longer be viewed as low-hanging fruit because remote workers will form a robust security defense that safeguards your data and reputation. Following through with a determined mobile device security plan may also help lower your cybersecurity insurance premiums.

Are Work-From-Home Policies Worth the Risk?

Studies indicate that staff members and independent contractors prefer the remote live-work lifestyle over commuting to an office. Some surveys show that 90 percent say they are more productive working off-site. Nearly three-quarters point to mental health benefits, and more than 80 percent of people polled noted they would take a pay cut to work remotely.

Given that businesses save money and employees are content with logging on to the network and completing tasks remotely, work-from-home policies seem like a win-win. Of course, that only holds true if mobile device security measures are in place to prevent cyberattacks.

Red River Provides Mobile Device Security for Remote Workforces.

Protecting valuable and confidential data grows increasingly difficult as hackers revise their criminal schemes. The financial losses, downtime, regulatory fines and tarnished reputation accompanying a data breach or ransomware takeover can hamstring an otherwise productive enterprise. If you are interested in learning more about mobile device security, Red River has solutions. Contact us today, and let’s get the process started.