TECHNOLOGY
Six Tips to Protect Your Mobile Devices from Cyber Threats Christophe Réglat
The Internet of Things (IoT) has made life more convenient in many ways, from webconnected televisions to smart kitchen appliances. The cars we drive are no longer just a vehicle to get us from point A to point B, they are our smartphone, our map, and our personal DJ. As a result, an estimated 200 billion devices will need securing by 2020, according to a cybersecurity report in Entrepreneur magazine. Many of these devices have computer processors onboard and act as a self-contained web server to handle communication and other sophisticated functions. Until we start protecting our mobile and other smart devices the same way we protect our computers, we're inviting increased risk. Particularly with smartphones and tablets, it’s become commonplace to use these smaller mobile devices for both work and pleasure the same as we would a desktop or laptop computer. With the amount of personal and protected data stored on these devices, cybercriminals are taking notice. Consider all of the information contained on your mobile devices. Many apps such as Amazon, PayPal and Venmo provide access to your bank account or credit card information. What’s more, these devices contain direct access to your e-mail, text messages and social media accounts that can be used to steal your identity and trick others into providing their sensitive information, as well. Among the top threats from mobile devices are: • Free mobile apps that perform as advertised, but also send personal – and potentially corporate – data to a remote server, where it is mined by advertisers, or worse, by cybercriminals. • Unsecured Wi-Fi and network spoofing, which is when hackers set up fake Wi-Fi networks in high-traffic public locations such as coffee shops, hotels and airports.
Illustration: © iStock/treety
A survey by cybersecurity software provider Symantec found that three in 10 small- and medium-business owners said employees have lost a company-issued mobile device or had one stolen. Of those, more than 25 percent said the event resulted in a data breach. When it comes to your business, how are you protecting the data on your company’s mobile devices?
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Here are six tips to help ensure your mobile devices are secure.
The Washington CPA Summer 2020
www.wscpa.org
