Smartphones have become part of our daily lives. They provide a more easy and fast way of getting things done. Despite the great impact it has, if smartphones are not secured then security threats may arise due to the large amount of data our smartphones have on our daily lives.

Smartphones have found a way to be fairly convenient for cyber attackers as well. Moreover, the way in which individuals and companies use smartphones can bring new risks into the organization. These devices store a lot of sensitive information which indeed must be controlled to protect the user’s privacy.

Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks are one of the most common and successful means of obtaining sensitive information that attackers use such as SMS, voice calls to fool you into giving up a password, clicking on a link or confirming a transaction. credit card details, passwords, and usernames by pretending to be a legitimate or real entity in electric communication. Their strategy is to trick an email owner into clicking on what could be a dangerous link.

Spyware

Apps that are designed to allow extremely invasive digital surveillance through a smartphone that request a lot of permissions or any permission, which can read texts and emails, track the phone’s location, secretly listen to nearby conversations, take pictures, or control other apps.

Can this attack be undone? Most definitely yes, however it is not as simple as it may be perceived to sound. A possible way of undoing the attack is by having a malware and antivirus detection suite in order to detect possible spywares on your device can be used to detect such spy software. More over you can consult with a security consulting and engineering firm that offers digital forensics services to give you a full report what the matter and solutions.

Outdated devices

Smartphones that are outdated generally pose many security threats. Their software could be outdated without any guarantee of it being updated anytime. Check the “end of life” or “end of support” date on the manufacturer’s website for your phone updates. 

Poor Password Security

There are a few phone users that practice password maintenance, while there is a whole lot of them still using weak passwords while the rest don’t even care to change them from time to time. Weak and recycled passwords could be a gateway for attackers to access your device.

What can be done? Setting up multi-factor authentication, as well as using a password manager app to generate and store unique passwords for every account. In case you  easily forget your password, try making use of a password manager. It is a much safer way for password storage compared to writing them down in a notebook.

The take-home message is simple: 

Leaving the responsibility in users' hands is not enough.  Do not make assumptions; make policies to better secure your employees and company. You will thank yourself later.