The current generation of smart mobile devices has the same computer processing power as some laptops and desktops, but the security used on these devices leaves much to be desired, which presents a favorable target for hackers. Mobile users are not taking the same security precautions on their devices as they would on their laptop or desktops, and as the mobile platform continues to grow and be part of our personal and work ecosystem, it will present one of the biggest challenges for security professionals in 2014 and beyond.
A new report from IT governance, risk and compliance firm Coalfire highlights the challenges mobile security will face as it becomes part of bring your own device (BYOD) initiatives for businesses and the increasing mobile financial services used by consumers. Additionally, organizations face compliance issues as regulators introduce more mandates to ensure consumers are protected, especially in healthcare and finance with data privacy legislations PCI (News - Alert) DSS, GLBA, FFIEC, HIPAA/HITECH, HITRUST, NERC CIP, Sarbanes-Oxley, FISMA and FedRAMP.
Organizations will come under greater scrutiny for protecting their assets and that of their customers. Today's cybercriminals are smarter than ever before. They use new methods and more computing resources to breach defenses using a variety of simultaneous attacks to achieve their goals. As the threat continues to emerge, security protocols will have to move away from static boundary protection to more proactive monitoring and response programs that analyze new threats and risks 24/7 with upgrades, updates and system changes
Although the Android (News - Alert) platform will see a significant increase in malware, iOS will also be affected as it continues to capture larger market shares around the world. The knowledge and skill level hackers possess today has allowed them to breach both operating systems, but the fact that Android controls a large portion of the market makes it a more desirable target.
According to security experts, the biggest problem facing the mobile platform is 80 percent of users are not protecting their device from malware. The report from Coalfire also states tablets and smartphones in essence have the same security measures as Windows 95 did during the early days of the Internet. The company said, "Today, there simply is not adequate security to protect users from the serious threats that are known."
The fifth annual “State of the Endpoint” study conducted by Ponemon Institute (News - Alert) of 676 IT and security professionals which was commissioned by Lumension, revealed more than 75 percent view mobile devices posing the biggest threat in 2014, up from just 9 percent in 2010.
No two organizations or individuals are identical because of the assets they possess. This will greatly determine if they are going to be a target of an attack, and the security measure has to take these facts into consideration. But study after study continues to reveal the efforts put in place by individuals and organizations are not adequate enough to counteract the attacks they will be facing.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson