Mobile devices are the weak links in the security chain, providing easier direct access to more valuable organizational assets than any other intrusion point, according to analysis by Check Point Software Technologies. The company’s report is based on collaborative research and in-depth analysis of more than 300,000 hours of monitored network traffic, from more than 16,000 Threat Prevention gateways and 1 million smartphones.
Check Point research found that for an organization with more than 2,000 devices on its network, there’s a 50 percent chance that there are at least 6 infected or targeted mobile devices on their network. 72 percent of IT providers agreed that their top mobile security challenge is securing corporate information, and 67 percent said their second biggest challenge is managing personal devices storing both corporate and personal data.
Check Point also found that 81 percent of the organizations analyzed suffered a data loss incident, up 41 percent from 2013.
“Today’s cybercriminals are sophisticated and ruthless: they prey on the weaknesses in a network, approaching any security layer as an open invitation to try to hack it. In order to protect themselves against attacks, security professionals and organizations alike must understand the nature of the latest exploits and how their networks are potentially impacted,” said Amnon Bar-Lev, president of Check Point Software Technologies.
