Keeping Your Mobile Device Secure
Many small business owners are misguided when it comes to the threat of cyberattacks, assuming that their size means that they are unlikely to become a target for hackers. Unfortunately, this is not the case. In 2019 the US telecommunications company reported that 43% of data breaches involved small businesses. The threat is very real, and hackers are ever developing more advanced and creative methods of accessing sensitive information from mobile devices.
With more and more work being conducted using smartphones, keeping your staff’s business smartphones secure has never been more of a priority. Mobile devices are an extension of your business in today’s market, as they are used for all manner of commercial operations. Your company needs to know how to protect itself and how to respond to these risks.
Here is how you can protect your company’s sensitive information.
Regular Updates
Don’t ignore operating system and app updates. Updating regularly can prevent avoidable breaches as vulnerabilities in the system will be patched. If you or your employees are still running outdated software, hackers will know how to exploit that weakness.
Ensuring that you have automatic updates switched on is a simple and effective solution that can save you financial and reputational loss down the line. It’s one of the most basic protection tips for businesses dealing with client data.
Avoid Public Wi-Fi
Even amateur hackers can utilise public Wi-Fi to access other users’ information as they surf the web for free in conference centres, hotels, or cafes, for example. Make sure your staff are aware that they should switch off their Wi-Fi connection in public spaces and they should never sign in to unencrypted open networks.
In cases where accessing sensitive data in public is essential, use a VPN service so that employees can access the company network regardless of their location. VPN services encrypt your activity and tunnel your traffic through to a server in another location so that it can’t be tracked.
Two-Factor Authentication
While two-factor authentication (2FA) introduces an additional step in the authentication process. Although this is more time-consuming, 2FA introduces a secondary barrier to stop attackers accessing your company’s information, so is worth the extra effort.
Lock Devices
Although it may sound obvious, many individuals still don’t secure their lock screen properly. Set up a PIN or password. Another tip is to avoid using pattern passwords, as repeatedly swiping the pattern to unlock your phone is likely to leave a noticeable mark on the screen when observed under the right lighting.
App Permission Management
Track the permissions that have been given to apps and revoke those which aren’t needed for the software to function. The reality is that many apps make a profit by selling data to advertisers, and so request more access than is strictly needed. Improving these simple access settings on company phones is a simple step towards securing your devices.
Ignore Spam
Companies can easily fall victim to phishing scams and fraudulent emails if their staff aren’t properly trained during their onboarding procedure. Having and communicating an effective email security policy is essential to stopping malware from entering your network via suspicious attachments, promotional emails, or fake update reminders.
Antivirus and Firewall Apps
Smartphone antivirus apps will scan downloads to check they aren’t infected with malware, while firewalls will prevent applications from sending or receiving information stealthily.
There are a wide range of anti-malware mobile app options to choose from. Some of the best are those linked to companion desktop applications as they provide protection across all your machines.
Mobile Device Management Software
Not all threats come from malware. If a mobile device linked to the company is stolen or simply lost, then mobile device management software (MDMS) can contain the risk.
MDMS services can locate a phone, make it ring, or disable it remotely. If you are handling sensitive high net worth client data, your company could even consider setting up a fail-safe procedure whereby all the information stored on the device will be deleted after 10 mismatched password errors.
Back-Ups
Check that your staff have enabled back ups in their settings to sync their data with the Cloud. Keeping important files backed up is key to good practice, and will ensure that your business has an up-to-date working state that it can return to in case of a breach.
In the modern marketplace, your business needs to be prepared for cyberattacks. Taking preventative measures and constructing a rapid recovery procedure is essential to turning what could have been a financial and reputational catastrophe into a small loss. But as there is no one-size fits all solution to securing your data, having expert cybersecurity consultants on hand can make all the difference.
Why not contact us today to see how we can help?
