Applying MAM to the Top Mobile Security Threats

The use of mobile devices has helped to increase business efficiency by providing employees with the applications and data they need to do their jobs more effectively. Nevertheless, as employees increasingly use their personal mobile devices for different purposes and in a wide range of settings (work, home, shopping malls, other public venues), the use of employees’ personal devices also poses serious mobile security threats to the enterprise. This includes employees’ use of social networks and personal applications where corporate data can potentially be breached or fall into the wrong hands, along with content sharing between users. In some cases, employees inadvertently downloaded mobile apps that can troll for personal or corporate data on their devices. 

These rogue programs can be presented in formats such as; adware, sneakware, and browser hijackers — affecting mobile security on personal devices. Malware can behave in a variety of different ways, from tracking a person’s keystrokes to stealing his passwords — to sending a user’s personal information to unauthorized servers. According to Mobile Marketer, a wave of malware on Android phones is currently affecting users in China and Russia, with infection rates reaching 40 percent in each country. And while these threats haven’t yet reached users in Western nations, Mobile Marketer warns that in 2013, “targeted attacks using mobile devices as the entry point could become a big issue for companies.” Because of these types of security threats, using a mobile application management (MAM) solution can help organizations to identify the presence malware. Using a MAM solution can also protect the enterprise by wrapping its proprietary app and data assets with security policies. In addition, MAM platforms can enable IT organizations to continuously track the security and usage of corporate apps. Companies also should be careful about the content made available on employees’ mobile devices.

Sensitive customer information could be snared by cyber thieves including; intellectual property, calendars, contact information, and other sensitive data when employees use shared public networks or when devices go missing. MAM solutions also benefit enterprises since they can be used to wipe sensitive corporate data from employees’ personal devices in case of theft or loss.