Due to the increasing reliance on modern technologies globally, mobile security has become one of the most important concerns for safeguarding user data. With smartphones and other mobile devices becoming a nearly indispensable part of people’s daily activities, the threat of losing valuable personal data has become significant.
Mobile security has never been more important, given that user data has to be protected from a plethora of cyber threats that can target it. Although, at the early stages, mobile security seldom received any careful consideration when developing mobile applications and devices, the rise of the smartphone posed a potential threat to user privacy and the safety of the information that users post and store in their devices.
The tremendous growth of the number of cyber threats that users face on their digital journey can be evidenced among others by the increase in mobile malware attacks by 50% from 2019 to 2021.
Principles of Mobile Security
Therefore, in a world closely connected through smartphones and other mobile devices, a range of mobile security’s principles have been developed to address user privacy vulnerabilities and protect their valuable data in the digital world. One of the most important among them is an approach to mobile data encryption. In short, this technology progresses by transforming any sensitive information into an unreadable form that can be decoded only by a trusted party. In 2021, a study by McKinsey discovered that 72% of companies claimed to use this technology as part of their mobile security efforts. This is key to preventing data breaches, which in terms of valuable information are reported to cost companies an average of $4.24 million per incident.
The Role of Secure Mobile Applications
Moreover, the emergence of secure mobile applications is noteworthy for mobile security. It is increasingly common for developers to understand the benefits of incorporating a range of security features into their applications to prevent the thriving of harmful applications. For instance, the environment suffers less when security measures, such as secure coding and the frequent updates of security, are included. A study conducted by App Annie found that 96% of the most popular mobile applications today have some kind of security provider to the end user. Therefore, when users have security features within their applications, they are more likely to be safe while the applications are running. Therefore, companies need to come up with more secure coding and the profiling of applications to reduce vulnerabilities.
Importance of Robust Authentication
Highlighting robust authentication is important for mobile security. Multi-factor authentication has gradually become an increasingly instrumental way to verify user credentials and subsequently ensure that the user has more protection. Wolverton claims that MFA ensures that a malicious actor must have the user’s passwords and biometrics, or the device, meaning that attacks are increasingly rare. Research by Microsoft shows that using MFA options can prevent 99.9% of account compromise attacks. However, MFA has also been criticised for its bandwidth, as it may not be readily included in the working environments of all companies.
Threat Detection in Mobile Security
Lastly, apart from encryption and authentication, an effective hindrance of mobile security is threat detection. As Herjavec argues, “one of the best ways to stop a cyber-attack is to know it’s coming, and companies have long experimented with threat detection systems that can identify an attack before it happens.” Regrettably, at first, IST professionals had to carry out this task alone; however, machine learning algorithms now make it possible for organisations to identify an attack before it happens, which is, in most cases, caused by an anomaly. According to research conducted by Gartner, companies that use automated threat detector software reduce their response time brigades by an average of 70%. Such programs have not been readily available for the last few decades; the development and implementation of such technology in mobile organisations have occurred within the last fifty years.
User Awareness and Education
However, even with adequate security measures, there is a potential risk of vulnerabilities caused by users. The first issue is that users need to be aware: for this, users must know what they can do and what they should not do. The importance of user awareness in mobile security is difficult to overstate, with that users having to know everything from recognizing phishing attacks and not following the provided links to adjusting the privacy settings of their devices regularly. For example, the survey by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency showed that 90% of data breaches were caused by human error. Thus, it is essential to promote the security culture in organizations and among users in general to increase their safety awareness and readiness to disregard suspicious activities.
Public Wi-Fi Security Risks
One of the potential risks associated with mobile security compared to desk personal computers is public Wi-Fi security. The problem is that currently, there are not many methods to secure the connection, and the mobile phone itself does not always disallow connecting to unsecured networks. Meanwhile, unsecured public networks can undermine data security by allowing cybercriminals to intercept passwords and financial information. The Norton report showed that 54% of users worldwide do not take any precautions before connecting to public Wi-Fi, suggesting that the overall awareness of the problem is low. As a result, users are recommended to utilize mobile device management solutions, which allow their organization to enroll security policies to employees’ devices. With MDM systems, applications can be managed, password policies can be enforced, and data can be wiped remotely from lost devices. According to MarketsandMarkets report, the global MDM market is expected to grow from $2.7 billion in 2021 to $6.9 billion in 2026.
Growth of Cloud-Based Services
Usage of cloud-based services for data storage and management is rapidly growing, as stated above. Most of the time, mobile devices are used to access sensitive data stored in the cloud, making security measures a critical concern. The Cloud Security Alliance conducted a survey concluding that 94% of organizations faced at least one cloud security incident in 2021. This statistic highlights the importance of comprehensive cloud security measures, including data encryption and access controls, to ensure the protection of sensitive information.
Need for Regular Security Updates
Mobile security also implies the need for security updates. In general, regular updates are of crucial importance in protecting the devices from vulnerabilities and emerging threats. However, not all users are vigilant about installing those on time. According to the study from the International Data Corporation, 60% of all the consumers delay security update installation. In such a way, it is possible to draw the conclusion that an inherent part of mobile security includes the simultaneous educational campaign aimed at promoting the significance of these updates and the perennial risk of neglecting them.
Future Trends in Mobile Security
Overall, mobile security is expected to change in accordance with emerging threats and advancing technology. Most likely, the mobile devices’ security will include more advanced options based on such technologies as artificial intelligence and machine learning. The latter will be particularly useful in predicting the threats and responding to those. According to Frost & Sullivan, the global mobile security market will be $8.5 billion strong in 2025.
Adapting to Cryptocurrency and Digital Wallets
Additionally, with the growing number of people adopting cryptocurrency and digital wallets, mobile security will have to adjust to protect users’ financial data. Cybercriminals will always be attracted to mobile payment systems and will try to hack them for financial gain. PwC reported that 60% of financial services companies believe they will experience substantial issues in mobile payment security in the next several years. Thus, the organizations must realize the importance of the issue and take preventive steps before it is too late.
Comprehensive Risk Management Strategies
Organizations’ risk management approaches must take into account a multifaceted strategy of mobile security. This may include regular security audits, testing of vulnerabilities, and plans of ISPs. By ensuring that all security measures are in place and threats can be predicted and preempted, organizations can remain effective in protecting their data and their customers’ data.
Conclusion: The Critical Importance of Mobile Security
With the increase in the number of people using mobile technology and the surge of connected devices, the safety of mobile devices has never been more critical to the survival of agencies. Implementing the latest safeguards and educating people about the dangers of unsupported mobile technologies and online services will ensure the protection among the majority of users. Various innovative information security options are currently in play or are being developed. As we progress even further in the digital age, with more people using mobile devices for work from home and all the time, the emphasis on mobile security will only increase.
