There are many mobile security apps out there, each offering a different set of features, so when aiming to choose the right one, you first need to decide what your company's priorities are. Find out how key features can help mitigate threats to company mobiles.
Smartphones are a popular target for cybercriminals
In recent research carried out by Statista, nearly half of US respondents (46%) stated that they spend between five and six hours on their smartphone every day. Increasingly, our mobile devices are the technology of choice to browse the internet, access online banking, play games, pay at shops, and store photos, files or sensitive personal information such as passwords. However, with portability of mobile devices comes a higher chance of them being stolen or misplaced, compared to PCs.
All of this means that smartphones are an increasingly popular target for cybercrime. According to the recent ESET Threat Report (T1 2021), for instance, there was an 158.7% increase in Android banking malware in comparison to the end of 2020. However, mobile banking is not the only source of malware. Cyberthreats for mobile devices that can ultimately put your company at risk are manifold: from employees connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi networks, to malware, phishing attacks, social engineering, or simply cracked passwords.
So the attention turns to mobile security; for example, response plans for if an employee’s device gets stolen, keeping the fleet of your corporate smartphones secure and carrying out regular scans on them. Would you appreciate more functionality for your team, such as secure vault for apps, Virtual Private Network (VPN) or performance optimisation? Here are some of the most important functions you should think of when choosing a mobile security provider.
Look for following features in your mobile security app
Theft protection: Mobile security apps can help you locate a lost or stolen device or inform the owner of the phone’s last known location before its battery ran out. They can lock the phone, allow the user to set a lock screen message or sound a loud siren. Another useful feature is the option for the data stored on the phone to be wiped remotely.
Antivirus and antimalware: It’s necessary to ensure that smartphones connected to your company’s network aren’t infected with viruses, malware, or on the receiving end of phishing attempts. A solid security solution should scan all downloaded files, SD cards, and apps for viruses and malware and, ideally, have a high detection rate. Some apps can also detect fraudulent messages and delete them. There should also be an option to initiate automatic scans when charging or only on specific days and at specific times, to preserve battery life.
Block threats: Internet browsers are a frequent source of cyberthreats. That’s why another common feature is identifying potentially harmful websites and links whenever someone on your team is browsing the web. Install the most current version of your web browser and use filters that can identify and warn you of potential security threats. Some solutions even offer payment protection features that open apps used for payments with another layer of security to protect your financial data.
Hack Alerts: These are warnings that you get whenever a new data leak compromises personal or company accounts/passwords. These prompt users to review security and when necessary, change their login details – something that should ideally also be easy to do. If the mobile security app natively offers a password manager feature, that’s even better.
Wi-fi scan: One of the easiest ways for hackers to gain access to a smartphone is to intercept its connection to a public Wi-Fi or even set up their own rogue Wi-Fi hotspot. Many mobile security apps allow users to test their connection to see if it’s secure and encrypted and gives them information about download/upload speed.
Vaults and privacy: To increase the privacy protection of a device, some mobile security providers let you protect apps with a lock or create a password-protected vault for important or sensitive files. Both can prove useful in case of unauthorized access to a device to help contain the damage. Some security apps also let their users protect their connection with a VPN.
App monitoring and device management: Many handset providers that have addressed this have done so with built-in app monitoring and device management functionality. However, some security apps also offer a more holistic service for mobile devices, and they also come with an overview of installed apps and their required permissions, and they can monitor screen time or the use of data. To improve performance, the apps let the user delete junk files to free up storage space, and they identify tasks and processes that are slowing the phone down.
Again, every mobile device used within a company is a potential gateway for cybersecurity threats. With the right set of protective features, you’ll increase the level of security of individual (mobile) endpoints, which ultimately means higher security for your business network. But as well as choosing the right solution for your company, you also need to educate your team and make sure they follow best cybersecurity practices and have a healthy approach towards their cyber hygiene.
