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| AUGUST 2006 |  |
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Securing Your Mobile Devices
More workers rely on their smart phones, PDAs and laptops for critical work, and now attackers turn their attention to these devices. What strategies should you take to protect your mobile computers from the growing threat of viruses and malware?
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Mobile computing is integral to most businesses. It's no longer only road warriors like sales people and consultants who regularly use laptops, PDAs and other mobile devices. Nowadays, employees in a broad range of jobs rely on wireless computers to do their jobs.
Mobile computing is a boon for productivity. People can access the right information and communicate from virtually anywhere. But the growth of mobile computing comes at a price. Mobile devices have their own set of security vulnerabilities. Now that more people use mobile devices for work, criminals focus their attention on exploiting these wireless computing tools to damage or steal private corporate information. Mobile Security Concerns Mobile devices are easy to steal and lose. People forget them in taxi cabs, airports, and hotel lobbies, says Victor Kouznetsov, senior vice president of mobile at McAfee. Their small size also makes mobile devices an easy target for thieves, Kouznetsov says. As annoying as it is to lose the device, the loss of data is potentially more damaging. That's especially true if laptops and mobile phones contain sensitive information like customer data, intellectual property, and other trade secrets. "Information travels very easily in this age of mobile computing," Kouznetsov warns. He expects the problem to worsen as more people use portable storage devices, which are even smaller and easier to lose. While the loss and theft of mobile devices remains the number one mobility security risk, others threats loom. "There have been some proof-of-concept developments of malicious software aimed at mobile computers," Kouznetsov says. Fortunately, these attacks have had limited effectiveness, mostly because the mobile computing market is extremely diverse and it's difficult to create a single, widely devastating attack. Attackers can also harness mobile devices to launch spam, phishing, or denial-of-service attacks. Take Steps to Mobile Security The good news is that you protect your vital mobile computing assets. One of the most important things you can do is to create and enforce an information security policy for all mobile devices. Instruct employees and business partners how to use mobile devices wisely and how to avoid losing them or having them stolen. Your information security policy should also describe how to use logons and passwords properly. McAfee® is developing solutions that will help organizations enforce mobile security policies, Kouznetsov says. Organizations should equip their mobile devices with effective protection against malware such as viruses and worms. As with desktop computers, mobile devices also need anti-spyware protection. McAfee Mobile Security keeps your business information safe and your employees productive. McAfee Mobile Security's always-on protection identifies and removes viruses, Trojans, worms, and other malware without interrupting operations and connections. Mobile Security provides broad protection coverage, examining all e-mail, instant-message attachments, Internet downloads, Short Message Service (SMS) messages, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transfers for threats. It automatically cleans infections as it finds them. Currently, 25 million mobile devices have McAfee security technology embedded, Kouznetsov says. "We work with manufacturers and operators to build security into the devices and networks," says Kouznetsov. "By including the security software with the mobile device, we ensure that the user doesn't have to do anything to have a secure device." IT managers considering mobile computer purchases should consider the device's built-in security capabilities before making a decision. Another important proactive measure that organizations should take is to encrypt all sensitive data that is stored on mobile devices. Encryption keeps such information from being compromised, even if a device is lost or stolen. As the use of mobile computing devices explodes, so will the risk of security vulnerabilities and threats. "For IT managers, it's not just a matter of acquiring devices and managing connectivity, but securing those devices," says Kouznetsov. "Security needs to be addressed before a single device is given to a user." Otherwise, companies could open themselves up to devastating security breaches and short-circuit the potentially huge gains enabled by mobile computing. Resources: Click here to learn more about McAfee Mobile Security. |
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