Threats to mobile devices are real. They store sensitive information, like credentials, business data, emails, chat logs, and intellectual property, and often lack adequate protection, making them prime targets. According to the 2024 Verizon Mobile Security Index, 50% of all employee phones will be successfully phished, 71% of employees' phones contain corporate credentials, and 79% of employers agree letting people work anywhere is the future of professional employment. So why are so many organizations ignoring the need to protect their entire workforce?
The security risks associated with mobile devices, whether BYOD or managed devices are high, especially within regulated industries such as financial services, healthcare, and retail.
For example, the genetic testing site 23andMe confirmed in 2023 that bad actors accessed the personal information of 5.5 million people who opted into a feature that connects them with genetic relatives. While 23andMe blames the hack on users who "negligently recycled and failed to update their passwords," the lawsuits continue to fly. They contend that users were victims of credential-stuffing attacks. 23andMe confirmed the thieves also accessed other personal information from up to 5.5 million people who opted into a feature that lets them find and connect with genetic relatives.
While a breach can impact a company's reputation, it can also lead to regulatory fines, as is the case with South Korea's most commonly used messaging app, KakaoTalk, which cost parent company Kakao KRW about $11.1 million in fines, as reported by CPO magazine.
Debunking Some of the Common Misbeliefs About Mobile Security
The fact remains that mobile devices are not appropriately secured like other corporate endpoints.Many believe mobile phones are safe enough with the built-in security offered by the OS, and many security professionals consider employee-owned devices (BYOD) too hard to secure. Here are some other common beliefs worth debunking in your organization as you consider further security measures across your mobile fleet:
MDM is All I Need for Mobile Security: This is not always the case. MDM solutions enforce policies, but they do not always have the strongest protection against malware or smishing (SMS phishing). MDMs also introduce privacy issues into the workplace, particularly with BYOD users.
Mobile Threats are Niche: There was time when threats on mobile devices were not common, but those days are gone. In 2023, mobile threats constituted 40% of Kaspersky’s detections and 80% of zero-days discovered by Google, proving that mobile threats are pervasive and a major concern for organizations of all sizes.
Using Mobile MFA Tools are Safe for Accessing Corporate Tools and Data: Mobile MFA tools are not as safe as once thought. There are many examples of how MFA fatigue attacks, popular with Scatter Spider, have led to serious data breaches. Employees often reuse and store work credentials on their mobile devices. Even with the use of MFA tools, it is easy for adversaries to steal session tokens and credentials.
BYOD Devices Don’t Impact Network Security: Many believe native security on iOS and Android devices is enough, but BYOD devices pose significant security risks. Employees are accessing and sharing corporate data via email, messaging apps, or cloud data stores on their mobile devices. This poses a significant security risk and these devices require the same security measures as other endpoints.
Privacy Concerns Make it Impossible to Secure Employees' Personal Devices (BYOD): For many mobile security solutions, it's true that security is the enemy of privacy. However, premium mobile security is possible without forfeiting privacy. Devices do not need to use an MDM to be secure.
Advanced Mobile Protection and Privacy in Harmony
Mobile devices are critical endpoints, and securing them is vital to securing any organization, as they face rapidly increasing cyber threats. iVerify mobile EDR eliminates these risks by offering advanced detection against spyware, credential theft, vulnerabilities, and smishing while respecting user privacy. iVerify offers comprehensive enterprise solutions:
iVerify EDR: Provides continuous spyware protection, vulnerability management, VPN-less smishing protection, MDM-less conditional access control, API access, integrations, user training, and more. Easily deployed, iVerify allows teams to monitor individual users' mobile security status via the iVerify dashboard or through API connectivity to SIEM, SOAR, or XDR solutions.
iVerify Elite: Tailored for the boardroom, government and highly-targeted entities, it includes all of the features within iVerify EDR plus the ability to engage iVerify in on-demand and periodic threat hunting.
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