What Are the Most Frequent Types of Attacks on Mobile Devices?

These days, over 75% of U.S. employees use their personal cell phones for work. Mobile devices are great for employee productivity, enabling people to access work on the go and outside the office. 

Whether you permit your employees to use their phones for work purposes or not, chances are they are probably using them anyway. Whether they’re checking work emails, answering Slack messages or filling in timesheets, smartphones are firmly part of modern workplace culture.

However, left unmanaged, mobile devices are a data breach waiting to happen if these devices – or the data on them – gets into the wrong hands. 

To that end, you need a strategy to manage the common security risks associated with mobile devices. Building this strategy starts with understanding the risks that impact mobile devices, which we’ll explore below.

Man in the middle attacks 

A huge part of hybrid and remote working is working on the go: at the airport, in the library or at a coffee shop. To access the Internet from these places, your employees will likely use public WiFi spots. However, you need to watch out for hackers that exploit these spots in order to steal data. 

Cybercriminals know that public WiFi spots often experience high volume traffic. If the WiFi network is not adequately secured, hackers can break into it and ‘eavesdrop’ on the devices that connect to it. This is what’s known as a man in the middle attack – and it’s a big issue for businesses.

The best way to prevent these attacks is to ensure that your employees use a VPN to access corporate resources. This will prevent eavesdropping by creating a shielded connection between your corporate infrastructure and your employee’s phone. 

Fraudulent applications

A fraudulent application is an app created by a hacker that is then sold on the app store. These applications look like legitimate apps, but they actually contain malware or spyware that compromises sensitive data. There are around 24,000 malicious mobile apps blocked every day, according to research. 

However, some fraudulent apps slip through the cracks – and are often downloaded by thousands of people, leading to data theft and fraud. 

To defend against fraudulent applications, we advise educating your employees on this threat. You should back up this training with corporate policies on what applications your employees can and cannot download. 

If your employees use corporate-owned mobile devices, consider putting a mobile device management (MDM) solution in place. This works by giving you control and visibility into how their employees use their phones. You can even stop them from downloading unsanctioned applications.

It’s worth noting, however, that if your employees use their own devices for work, they will likely object to you installing MDM or any other form of ‘bossware’ on their phones, as this could be seen as a breach of privacy. In this instance, if your employees are using their phones to access sensitive company data, you could consider deploying a cloud access security broker solution (CASB.) Speak to our friendly team about your options – we would be happy to help. 

Lost devices 

One of the simplest ways for a hacker to steal your sensitive data is to steal a corporate mobile device. If this device is not adequately PIN or password protected, a cybercriminal could easily exfiltrate all your sensitive data.

It’s, therefore, crucial to ensure that your employees use good password hygiene for their devices. For all corporate mobile devices, we strongly advise installing a remote wipe function, which enables you to delete all the data on the phone in the event that it’s lost.

Of course, remote wiping should be used in conjunction with cloud-based data backups to ensure that no vital data is lost for good. 

Network spoofing

Network spoofing is a form of attack where a hacker creates a fraudulent WiFi network spot. The WiFi spot acts just like a real one would, inviting the victim to create an account with an email and password. Typically, these fraudulent WiFi points will imitate well-known names and be found in public spaces like airports and coffee shops. 

When the victim shares their details, the hacker will harvest them and use them for fraud or sell the data directly on the dark web.

To defend against this risk, we advise educating your employees on the dangers of network spoofing. It would also be best to encourage them to use a unique password for every account they create. That way, if they fall victim to network spoofing, the hacker responsible won’t access their other accounts. 

Let us take care of your mobile security strategy for you! 

Unbound Digital can help your Johnson City, Tennessee business stay secure and efficient with a mobile security strategy. 

Contact us today to schedule a consultation. Call 423-467-7777 or reach us online.