Smartphones have changed the way we work and live, but they've also created new threats to personal security. Over recent years as many as 97% of organizations faced mobile threats. Many of these threats originated from networks.
Check Point‘s Mobile Security Report 2021 also indicated that some threats resulted from employees downloading malicious apps. The overall implication is that organizations need to act urgently to step up security in the segment.
Despite COVID vaccines beginning to make their way around the globe, many countries still have a significant percentage of employees working from home. This has been a vector of concern since companies have not been able to implement sufficient security standards in a timely manner.
Mobile Threats on the Rise
“As we have seen in 2020, the mobile threat landscape has continued to expand with almost every organization now having experienced an attack,” said Neatsun Ziv, VP Threat Prevention at Check Point Software.
While there are many basic guides to better security at home, not all workers may be willing or able to secure themselves comprehensively.
The Check Point report also indicated that remote work isn’t likely to go away. In fact, more than 60% of workers are forecast to go mobile by 2024. This raises increased concerns at the organization-wide level.
46% of organizations encountered at least one staff member downloading malicious mobile applications. That download threatened the company’s networks and data, demonstrating the need for increased vigilance.
Better Mobile Security Needed
“And there are more complex threats on the horizon. Cybercriminals are continuing to evolve and adapt their techniques to exploit our growing reliance on mobiles. Enterprises need to adopt mobile security solutions which seamlessly protect devices from today's advanced cyber threats, said Ziv.
On the financial technology level, banking trojan activity has also been stepped up. A 15% rise in this area put greater risk on the theft of mobile banking credentials. Risks came from multiple vectors including mobile malware, banking trojans, and premium dialers.
There are many ways that business can quickly raise their levels of mobile security. One is by requiring that remote workers make use of anti-virus applications even on their mobile devices. More importantly, to secure a wider range of tools, the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) services has become vital.
For businesses that employ fewer remote workers, consumer-grade VPN services are widely available. Some, like NordVPN, have a mix of personal and business plans. Despite being for the mass market, these VPNs services come with military-grade encryption and significant threat protection capabilities.
Protection Extends to Customers and Suppliers
Defending against cybersecurity weakness is important in today’s business environment. Not only is your organization’s data at risk, but any security breach could also have serious financial and reputational implications.
As an increasingly large number of virtual and small businesses emerge, cybersecurity should be re-assessed. No longer is it practical to only consider enterprise-grade security. Smaller organizations should be aware that security products that focus on their market segment do exist and are effective.
NordVPN Teams, for example, was developed to give small businesses blanket VPN coverage. It’s suitable for small to medium-sized organizations. Be aware though, that not all VPN brands are equally good at everything.
When assessing your cybersecurity protection product, always keep in mind the use case it needs to be deployed in. On a broader front, be aware of the top security solution players in any industry – they sit at the top for a reason and don’t always command premium prices.
Conclusion
Security measures need to be implemented, especially solutions like VPN. They are simple and highly cost-effective, with solutions coming to market at less than the price of a cup of Starbucks coffee each month.
That small organizational investment can help you avoid expensive damages, tarnished reputations, and possibly even compliance sanctions.
