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Mobile devices provide a great platform for friends and family to share pictures and stay in touch, however, they can easily be manipulated to share too much information as well. According to the 2017 Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, mobile malware detections increased 105 percent from last year to 18.4 million in total.
This is partly due to the open architecture of Android OS, and because 40% of users reported they did not have any type of antivirus. Mobile malware continues to aggressively attack users because it is still effective, and profitable for hackers. This is because malware can take advantage of sending premium text messages, advertisements, ransomware and click fraud. Apple iOS is not immune from attacks like those experienced by Android based phones. According to D'orazio 2017, 91% of the 200 most popular iOS apps tested showed risky behavior, such as location tracking, identification of the user, access to contact list and address book, and in-app purchasing. The nature of app creation is designed for maximum download counts, and not necessarily with the users' security in mind. Apple was also a victim to three major Zero-Day vulnerabilities. Many users are simply too easily persuaded or manipulated into providing information. Many apps require ridiculous amounts of information as well. Some apps can even take control of the phone.
For example, "Jekyll" apps can stealthily post tweets, take photos, steal identity information, send e-mail and SMS messages, and exploit kernel vulnerabilities (D'orazio, 2017). As a CIO I would ensure all employees understood the vulnerabilities they can be exposed to through their personal phone. Because the employees are the first defense of a company.
I would provide quarterly interactive trainings where we would cover phone security settings and potential bad apps that may be popular at the time. This would help ensure employees not only know what to do, but they also practice it. Just as it says in the Bible, "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Jesus can come back at any moment, and he says to stand ready, being prepared at all times. We need to be prepared with our cyber security.
At any moment a new attack could happen, and if we are too trusting, or lazy with personal information, then we will be the newest victims. D'orazio, C. J., Lu, R., Choo, K. R., & Vasilakos, A. V. (2017).
A Markov adversary model to detect vulnerable iOS devices and vulnerabilities in iOS apps. Applied Mathematics and Computation,293, 523-544. doi:10.1016/j.amc.2016.08.051 2017 Internet Security Threat Report. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 27, 2017, from
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