Mobile device threats are one of the most overlooked parts of securing a network that we witness in our cybersecurity company in Miami. Over 70% of the world’s population uses a smartphone, and if an employee connects to your network using these devices, it opens a world of security concerns.
If you allow employees to use their mobile devices, both Android and iOS, you’re putting your organization at risk of multiple threats.
5 Top Mobile Device Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities
1. Phishing Attempts
Phishing, smishing and vishing are all real threats. Attackers send fake messages to the employee in hopes that they divulge information or click on malicious links. Smartphones are vulnerable to:
- Phishing by email
- Vishing, which is voice phishing
- Smishing, which involves phishing over SMS
With the rise of AI-voice applications, we suspect vishing will become even more prominent, as many tools will allow an attacker to mimic the voice of any employee or owner.
2. SIM Hijacking
Attackers can use reverse engineering and other tactics in an attempt to steal a person’s SIM from a telecom provider. If this type of attack is successful, it will allow an attacker to assume an employee’s identity and have all calls and messages directed to them.
Imagine if the CEO or head of security had their phone hacked and requested passwords or other data.
With the person’s phone number, dedicated employees can easily send over sensitive data that allows the attacker to gain access to secure systems.
3. Physical Access
If a CEO or VP of a company uses their smartphone to access secure systems, a hacker can target them and steal their device. Imagine if the device isn’t secure and it’s stolen along with a person’s wallet. While the victim is trying to put holds on their credit and debit cards, the hacker can access all of the data on their phone and the network.
4. Public Wi-Fi
The risk of using public Wi-Fi is one that’s easy to overlook. You can sit down in a cafe and log into the network, and someone can use a man-in-the-middle attack to intercept any connections you make.
Attacks like these are called “honeypots,” and one way to avoid them is to use a secure, encrypted VPN or to avoid accessing public networks.
5. Device Exploits
If an attacker knows of a potential mobile operating system exploit, they can use this knowledge to access data on the device. Vulnerabilities like these are a serious risk. Security measures may not pick them up because the exploit bypasses security measures.
Other attacks, such as jailbreaking and rooting, can also be used. If used, these attacks allow hackers to access a wealth of data and information on the device. Root users can also disable and install apps, which can put malicious apps on the device or disable the security measures in place.
Hackers are resilient, and these are just a very small sample of the attacks that a hacker may use to access a business’s network.
If you want to harden your organization’s security and put strong policies in place to protect your data, our Miami cybersecurity company can help.