Internet Security Learning Center

Mobile Devices Expose Corporate Networks to Myriad Security Threats

Wireless devices that can send email and access the Internet are becoming the latest threat to corporate cybersecurity. "There have been cases of viruses and other nasty things that can be done to mobile phones that have not really been serious yet, but they will be," says analyst David Ferris. One threat is text-messaging spam, which can direct the user to a site that seeks to obtain personal or financial information. More dangerous threats occur when employees use mobile devices to access corporate email or other business applications. Since these devices lack the security found on PCs, users open themselves, and their company, up to threats on the Internet and crossing email connections. The entire network becomes open to these threats when an employee connects to corporate applications. Because the devices are corporate-issued, many forget the dangers they bring with them. McAfee claims that 83 percent of surveyed mobile operators have had their networks infected by threats carried by mobile devices that connect to them. Such threats cause a decrease in customer trust, which is very costly in the mobile industry. Experts say that securing service providers' networks alone is not sufficient; employees must be told not to access Web-based mail accounts and corporate resources from the same mobile device. IT departments are expected to limit the capacity of mobile devices to access corporate data.

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