SANS publishes report on smartphone security

Security report

14.10.2021, Bethesda, SANS Company | Author: Herbert Wheeler

Data theft and ransomware are the biggest risks

The SANS Institute, one of the world’s most prestigious and largest training and certification bodies, presents the results of the current report on the safe use of mobile devices to do with information security. This report deals with the greatest concerns and dangers of respondents in this matter “Secure smartphone usage” . Survey respondents were asked to worry more about the security of their mobile devices. More than 55 percent said they were most concerned about the potential for data theft and ransomware attacks.

“Specially designed with an SMS / I message or some other messaging platform, users are guided to click certain links through attractive language. Attackers also use the mechanism of” overlay “applications. Contrary to popular belief, mobile malware is less likely to use zero-day vulnerabilities and target unknown, reported vulnerabilities. Heather Mahalik, SANS Senior Instructor and Course Head “FOR585: Smartphone Forensic Analysis in Depth”.

Important preventive measures to close gateways on mobile devices is secure download of updates and applications and programs. Automatic download of updates is an important first step. Nearly 93 percent of those surveyed said their current mobile operating system is up to date.

It is also recommended that you download the apps only from the relevant store, as these are much safer than installing apps outside the official stores. Another important thing is the password; Biometric passwords are recommended, but you should always use an alphanumeric backup password.

Many companies use the Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution to make smartphones more secure. This will greatly increase the security of the device as it can monitor some dangerous processes related to the operation on the mobile devices. Nevertheless, users are still the “last line of defense”. You decide if updates are downloaded automatically, have a secure password, and download apps only from the associated store.