Mobile devices are becoming more and more popular recently, and they make working life a lot more straightforward. However, many mobile device users are blissfully unaware of the potential dangers surrounding them. Of course, a lot of the time this lack of knowledge is not a major problem, but the 28% of users who know nothing or very little about the risks involved in the use of mobile devices can be incredibly useful to potential cyber criminals.
Whilst it may not seem a problem in everyday life, the fact that 31% of smartphones and 41% of tablet devices don’t have the minimum security protection of a password. This could put personal data and company information at serious risk from cyber attacks, especially if you use these devices to store important information, such as PIN numbers, card numbers and important passwords.
Therefore, it is important for you to educate your employees that the use of a simple passcode to prevent criminals from accessing your information could keep you a lot safer.
However, there is some potentially good news. If your employees use Windows or Apple mobile devices, they are more likely to be more vigilant with their device security than others. In fact, surveys show that Android devices users are the most likely to be unaware of security risks, or less likely to worry about implementing sufficient security steps, than other brands of mobile devices. Figures reveal that 90% of Windows users know more about security threats and take measure to protect their devices
It’s also important to realise that it is not just the risk of an attacker gaining access to information through physically having your device. Certain apps can also put you and your data at risk.
A huge 41% of Android users have encountered problems with malicious apps on their devices, which is far too many. This is proof that protecting the data that you store on your device from malware, is equally important as having passwords on each device.
In order to protect your data, you should always take notice of alerts suggesting that a web page is suspicious. Never download an app or an attachment without being sure that it is safe and from a trusted source. Likewise, any confidential information that you store on your phone should be kept in a password protected app. You should also encrypt any important information, backing it up to another device whenever possible.
It is too often the case that people fall into the false sense of security that they will be immune to cyber attacks and that they will not be a victim. However, you can never be totally sure. As a result of this, you should take every step possible to protect companies data. It is also vital that you educate your employees about the importance of security practises to avoid any unnecessary data loss.
[Photo Credit: Ron Bennetts]
