[July 18, 2018] |
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WhatsApp Messenger and Facebook Messenger Most Common Risky Apps in the Enterprise Finds Appthority Q2 Enterprise Mobile Security Pulse Report
Appthority,
the global leader in enterprise mobile threat protection, today released
its Enterprise
Mobile Security Pulse Report for Q2 2018, which is based on millions
of ongoing mobile security scans Appthority performs for its enterprise
customers. The new
quarterly research provides the mobile apps most often found in the
enterprise and their Mobile Threat Risk Scores, the top mobile apps
blacklisted by enterprises, and the top mobile malware connections by
country.
For iOS devices, WhatsApp Messenger, Facebook (News - Alert) Messenger, and traffic and
navigation service Waze topped the list as the riskiest apps most often
found in the enterprise based on the Appthority Mobile Threat Risk
Score, which measures the highest risk from tens of millions of data
points based on deep app analysis. For Android (News - Alert), the riskiest and most
often found apps were WhatsApp Messenger, Facebook Messenger and
Telegram, an instant messaging and voice over IP service. Both Waze and
Telegram were new to the list from the previous
quarter.
Chat
apps from Facebook and WhatsApp, in particular, were notable for
several reasons. WhatsApp Messenger is not only among the top 5 most
popular apps on either platform - 3rd most popular on iOS and 5th most
on Android - but it has a relatively high risk score of 7 out of 10 in
the data leakage range on both platforms. This score means the app
accesses and/or sends enterprise related or identifiable information.
While Facebook Messenger is slightly less popular in enterprises, it
shares the same risk score and, like WhatsApp Messenger, is also in the
top five apps blacklisted on either platform by enterprises.
"Our latest
Enterprise Mobile Security Pulse Report confirms enterprise exposure
to risks from excessive data gathering and sharing by commonly used
social and communications apps," said Seth Hardy, Appthority Director of
Security Research. "By shining a light on the apps and risks commonly
found and blacklisted in enterprises, our goal is to help security teams
better secure their data and employees and make more informed security
decisions."
The top apps blacklisted by enterprises are also featured in the report.
Enterprises blacklist apps for a variety of security concerns including
specific malicious or data leakage behaviors, security policy
compliance, and concerns about data handling. This quarter, the top app
categories blacklisted by enterprises were messaging, social networking
and dating apps. The top three blacklisted apps by OS were Facebook
Messenger, Wickr Me, and WhatsApp Messenger for Android; and Facebook
Messenger, WhatsApp Messenger, and Tinder for iOS.
The majority of the top blacklisted apps were flagged for data leakage,
such as sending address book and SMS data, as well as for other
vulnerabilities and suspicious behaviors, such as disabling default
HTTPS encryption and using JSPatch for hot patching, a feature which has
been banned in the App Store.
Another top enterprise security concern is the countries to which mobile
data is being sent, particularly where malware may be sharing data. The
Pulse (News - Alert) report also reveals the most common destination countries for
mobile malware and the reputation of the connections by country.
This quarter, the U.S., China and Germany are top destinations for
Android and iOS malware despite these countries having average
reputation scores in the Trustworthy and Low Risk range. The Netherlands
had the highest percentage of connections in the High Risk range (3%)
followed by China and Hong Kong, at 2% respectively.
The complete list of the top 100 apps in enterprises (50 iOS and 50
Android), along with their associated risk scores, can be found in the
full Enterprise
Mobile Security Pulse Report for Q2 2018. To access other research
reports from Appthority, please visit
www.appthority.com/resources/#research.
ABOUT APPTHORITY
Appthority is a pioneer in enterprise mobile security and the leader in
the Mobile Threat Defense category. The comprehensive Appthority Mobile
Threat Protection (MTP) solution helps customers keep their data private
and secure from mobile device, app and network threats. More Fortune
1000 companies trust Appthority to secure their enterprises from mobile
threats because Appthority delivers best-in-class mobile threat
protection and unparalleled enterprise visibility and control of mobile
risks. With Appthority, security teams are informed, employees are
productive and enterprise data is kept private and secure. Visit www.appthority.com
for more information.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180718005165/en/
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