Mobile apps are often the cause of unintentional data leakage, for example, “riskware” apps pose a real problem for mobile users, who give them sweeping permissions, but don’t always check security. These are typically free apps found in official app stores that perform as advertised, but also send personal—and potentially corporate—data to a remote server, where it is mined by advertisers or even cybercriminals.

Data leakage can also happen through hostile enterprise-signed mobile apps. Here, mobile malware uses distribution code native to popular mobile operating systems like iOS and Android to spread valuable data across corporate networks without raising red flags. To avoiding this problem. only give apps permissions they absolutely insist on, and forgo any program that asks for more than necessary.

Since mobile devices are always powered-on they represent the front lines of any phishing attack. Mobile users are more vulnerable, since they are often the first to receive legitimate-seeming emails and take the bait. Desktop users who only check their email once a day or every other day are often warned off by news sites or security bulletins before clicking through. Email monitoring is crucial. Never click on unfamiliar email links. On a smaller mobile screen, they can be even harder to verify. Always enter URLs manually to be as safe as possible.

Many applications from the Android PlayStore are unchecked for malicious code and can be used to capture your secure data, we have even seen in the past 6 months and attack on users where their phone service provider was changed away from Telstra, they received text messages that they followed which installed another app on the phone.  24 hours later their bank accounts were drained and Westpac & NT Police began an investigation into the hack.  This is an extreme case however the users did not have any virus protection and did not read what they were clicking on in the text messages they received.

The moral of the story is purchase and install Virus Protection on your mobile devices, we sell and support Webroot for a monthly fee. For more information contact Territory Technology Solutions on 08 8944 2222.

Since mobile devices are always powered-on they represent the front lines of any phishing attack. According to CSO, mobile users are more vulnerable, since they are often the first to receive legitimate-seeming emails and take the bait. Desktop users who only check their email once a day or every other day are often warned off by news sites or security bulletins before clicking through. Email monitoring is crucial. Never click on unfamiliar email links. On a smaller mobile screen, they can be even harder to verify. Always enter URLs manually to be as safe as possible