For the Love of Mobile Security

For the Love of Mobile Security

Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Those still looking for love through an online dating app should possibly reconsider doing so from their work-designated phone. A recent IBM analysis of leading mobile dating apps revealed the potential present for cyberattacks.

According to the IBM analysis of the top 41 dating apps available on Android devices, nearly 60 percent of the apps showed vulnerability to cyberattacks. Furthermore, employee-installed dating apps on mobile devices that had access to confidential company data were present in 50 percent of the organizations that IBM analyzed.

Despite app privacy measures, cybercriminals can still gain valuable personal and professional information. Per IBM’s Security Intelligence article summarizing the analysis, cybercriminals can use GPS information to track daily movements as well as control the phone’s camera or microphone, which could mean accessing confidential meetings and more. A cybercriminal can also assume a dating profile.

What can users do to protect themselves and their company? Security Intelligence recommends a number of precautions, including scheduling a routine permission review, applying the latest patches and updates to the app and device, and cleaning up the contact list so that it’s free of passwords and personal notes.

Additionally, there are recommended mobile security measures organizations can take, including protecting BYOD devices (for how to create a sound, enforceable security policy, consider LLM, Inc.’s white paper), educating employees about app security, and acting immediately when an employee’s mobile device has been compromised. For just as love will find a way, eventually so may cybercriminals.

 

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