The smartphone opportunity
The smartphone is a very popular device. Phone and computer all in one. Great for personal use and great for business use. Easily portable and able to connect to the company network wirelessly and remotely.
Smartphone use is increasing at an incredibly fast rate, but security has not kept pace with the uptake of this device, even though it is used to store personal information, carry out web transactions or give credit card details over the phone.
Users have not appreciated the risks to themselves as individuals and also the risks to businesses, when smartphones are used to connect to company networks and databases,
Many recent surveys have shown the lack of awareness of the security risks and of the protection available. Three simple questions regarding smartphones help highlight some of the issues:
- If your smartphone was lost or stolen what steps have YOU taken to protect your data
- If you lose your smartphone, how would you get it back?
- Which smartphones are secure against attack?
If your answer to 1 is “none,” and your answer to 2 is “no idea”, then you are starting to get a view of the risks that you have with your smartphone. The answer to 3 is certainly none, as there are degrees of insecurity with all smartphones, with Android topping the list.
Businesses that were previously fairly secure can actually find themselves put at risk when their employees use smartphones. Particularly as smartphone users are being actively targeted by criminals, in the hope that they will download infected apps, go to an infected web site or log in through a hotspot.
The criminals can then potentially gain access to the corporate network, or access users’ personal information, including sensitive financial information. Or they might be aiming to carry out activities such as reading emails and listening to conversations, even when a phone is on standby.
If the phone is connected via a VPN, company networks are exposed to malware or could be hacked.
Android phones have already suffered a number of serious security problems. Recently, 50 Android apps from Android Market were found to be infected with rootkit malware called DroidDream, which could compromise personal data, taking over the user’s device (although Google acted swiftly to remove the apps from the market once it had been alerted).
The situation is not unlike that with laptops, when they first became popular. Initially, no-one was worried about protecting them, but as laptops were lost or stolen, the problems of not having secured them became apparent. Security breaches and fines encouraged larger companies to make sure that laptops were secured.
The comparison with laptops is especially apt as today’s smartphones have a spec equivalent to that of laptops just a few years ago. 32 Gb of storage and up to one Gb of RAM can easily be found on smartphones today. And like laptops, smartphones allow a direct, remote, wireless link into the office, and are used to retrieve emails, access company data and use company applications. Smartphones are being used like computers, and, like computers, they need to be protected.
From a VAR’s point of view, this is a situation with significant opportunities to sell smartphone security. Currently, awareness of the need for smartphone protection is low, but that will certainly change as security problems associated with smartphones rise, not least because they are much easier to lose than laptops.
Incidentally, much of this can also be applied to tablets, when used with Skype and a headset.
Providing smartphone security solutions is not complex. Easily understood, commercial security solutions are available from vendors such as Kaspersky Lab, CRYPTOCard and Check Point.
Kaspersky Lab’s Mobile Security 9, for example, helps users to safely browse the web and communicate via social networks. Features include inbuilt GPS to locate a lost or stolen smartphone, protection from malware and network attacks with real-time anti-malware scans, automatic updates, and blocking of dangerous network connections.
It won’t be long before individual users and businesses realise the need to protect smartphones. Providing security solutions is relatively simple. Those who get in early on the act will benefit most financially and increase their trusted advisor status with clients.
