Mobile malware: Protecting your company

We know that mobile devices aren’t going to be disappearing anytime soon, and as we discussed last week, either is mobile malware and security issues associated with mobile devices. So what do you do? How do you protect you and your business when it comes to mobile devices?

Mobile Security Platforms

Airwatch, a mobile management platform, has partnered with Lookout Mobile Security to provide security while allowing businesses to keep their BYOD policies. While s mobile device management (MDM) system such as Airwatch is a great step in managing and securing mobile devices, an additional security feature is usually needed. Lookout Mobile is focused on protecting mobile users from malicious applications and providing security to help solve company challenges. Over 100 million devices are currently using Lookout Mobile, mainly due to their partnerships with major mobile carriers. Each device acts as a sensor for all kinds of mobile apps and then Lookout can help provide proactive protection by alerting when a malicious app is present. Lookout Mobile Security is not the only mobile security platform, but it does help us demonstrate the large and growing need for mobile security platforms. There is a reason these types of platforms exist and that is because of the increase in mobile malware and security breaches through mobile devices.

Proactive and Reactive

We can talk all day long about how to be proactive in protecting mobile devices and company data, but a good security and protection strategy does not just include being proactive. It must also include a reactive strategy, in order to be efficient. What are you going to do when a mobile device in your network is compromised because it is not a matter of if it happens, but when. Using security programs like Lookout Mobile Security are part of being proactive, but that is only half of the strategy. Having a reactive strategy will help you stay on top of the situation and minimize damages. This circles back to having a good backup solution in place. That way, if a mobile device is infected and happens to get into your company data, you will have a backup of all your files and data, and can turn back to a time when you weren’t infected.

When a device does get infected, how will you handle that device, and how will you prevent the infection from spreading? These are all things to think about when developing a security policy for mobile devices. Make sure you have a way to securely and efficiently delete files and information from mobile devices as well.

A good mix of security precautions, as well as being proactive and reactive will help keep your company’s data safe. Another great way to protect your company is to make sure you have policies in place. Next week we will discuss BYOD policies, the pros and cons, and how to make sure these policies are effective.