Mobile Marvels: Why Locking Down Your Phone is the Coolest Thing You Can Do! #CSAM

• by Olivia Lawlor-Blackburn
• General

Securing your work mobile devices is crucial to protect sensitive information and maintain the integrity of your work environment. Losing a device or having one stolen is not rare and knowing that your organisation can act quickly to secure the data contained or accessible from that device, is crucial. Make sure you use your work device for work only and keep your personal life seperate, which, might be a good place to start….

Here are five top tips for enhancing work mobile device security:

Use Strong Authentication: Implement strong authentication methods such as biometrics (fingerprint, facial recognition) or multi-factor authentication (MFA). This adds an extra layer of security beyond passwords and significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access.

Keep Software and Apps Updated: Regularly update the operating system, applications, and security software on your mobile device. Updates often include patches for security vulnerabilities, and keeping everything up-to-date is a fundamental step in preventing exploitation by malware or hackers.

Encrypt Data: Enable encryption for data stored on your mobile device. This ensures that even if the device is lost or stolen, sensitive information remains protected. Both iOS and Android devices offer encryption options, and you should enable them as part of your security measures.

Implement Mobile Device Management (MDM):  Use MDM solutions to manage and secure mobile devices within your organisation. MDM allows IT administrators to enforce security policies, remotely wipe data from lost or stolen devices, and ensure compliance with security standards.

Educate Users on Security Best Practices: Human error is a significant factor in security breaches. Provide training and guidelines for employees on security best practices, such as avoiding suspicious links, using strong passwords, and being cautious about downloading apps or accessing sensitive data over public Wi-Fi networks.

Bonus Tips!

Set Up Remote Wipe and Tracking: Enable remote wipe capabilities on your mobile devices. This allows you to erase all data on a device if it’s lost or stolen. Additionally, consider using tracking features to locate lost devices.

Control App Permissions: Review and limit the permissions granted to apps. Some apps may request access to more information than they need. Regularly audit and adjust these permissions to minimize potential security risks.

By combining these tips, you can create a more robust security posture for your work mobile devices. It’s important to approach mobile security comprehensively, considering both technical and human aspects of the security landscape. Regularly reviewing and updating your security measures will help you stay ahead of emerging threats.

Your care of mobile devices should be part of an overarching security risk management system and be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure new threats are taken into account and that it always reflects best practice. You can call on us for anything related to information security management. Information and cyber security are vital to the health of your organisation. Managing information security risk requires leadership, skills, education and solid information security policies and processes through an Information Security Management System (ISMS). If you need help setting an ISMS up, want to review your existing one, or need any other information security or cyber security support, speak to us first.