Smartphones & security

Another year, another 717 breaches. When we look back at Ashley Madison, TalkTalk and breaches at several government agencies worldwide, we know just how rough 2015 was for security. So what security concerns should we prepare for in 2016? 

Mobile is dominating, fast

Time it took for phones to become mainstream:

Telephone: 45 years

Mobile phone: 7 years

Smartphone: 4 years

There are more than 7.4 billion mobile devices in use today. That's enough for every single person on earth to have a mobile device. 

App attack

1 in 10 threats originate from a wi-fi network with "free" in the name

95% of mobile malware are comprised of Banking Trojans

25% of mobile devices encounter a threat each month 

1 in 6 ransomware attacks in 2015 involved an Android device

More than 75% of mobile apps would fail simple security tests today

5.2 million smartphones were lost or stolen in 2014

Mobile security 101

40% of employees use their personal devices for work

59% of companies plan to start BYOD (bring your own device) initiatives for 2016

56% of enterprises admit they would be unlikely to detect a sophisticated threat

2K+ malicious apps have been installed on enterprise users' devices

Pluralsight tips

Protect your company by implementing a mobile device management system and educating users about: 

Downloading apps from legitimate sources

Reading app updates before accepting them

Using discretion when allowing apps to access personal information

Reporting stolen or lost devices to IT immediately

 

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