CS1705

mobile management
tethering their mobile device when
they're in the office, because they want
to go to websites that are blocked on
the corporate gateway." This is once
again opening up security issues for
businesses, he warns.
"Both the enterprise and the end user
have an interest in making sure their
sensitive mobile data is secure. But end
users also don't want to feel like a 'Big
Brother' is watching their every move
on their BYOD devices; which is why a
solution that simultaneously protects end
user privacy, without compromising
business-critical reporting, traffic control
or device management, is so important,"
adds Covington.
KEY ATTACK POINTS
Michael Shaulov, head of mobility
solutions, Check Point, believes there
are five major categories of attack and
vulnerabilities that organisations need to
protect their mobile fleets against, which
demand multiple mobile security
capabilities.
The first is system vulnerabilities. "Each
version of a mobile operating system will
contain vulnerabilities that criminals can
use to launch attacks. Devices need
to be continually analysed to uncover
vulnerabilities and the behaviours that
cyber criminals use to attack them. When
a threat is identified, the solution must
automatically mitigate any risk until the
threat is eliminated," he states.
Next comes root access and
configuration channels. "Root access
enables a wide range of customisations
and configurations, and gives criminals
greater access, which exposes devices
and data to risk," Shaulov points out.
"Criminals can even bypass MDMs using
relatively simple techniques, so it's
necessary to monitor all configuration
changes and use behavioural analysis to
detect unexpected system behaviour."
Then there are repackaged and fake
apps. "Malicious apps can take complete
control of mobile devices. It is remarkably
easy for criminals to reverse-engineer
popular apps or to create seemingly
authentic copies of existing ones. In turn,
these apps can be used to gain remote
access to the device or download
malicious payloads. Apps' installation
processes should be monitored and run
in a quarantined 'sandbox' environment
to analyse their behaviour."
Fourth on his list are Trojans and
malware. "An app's code is huge and
complex, making it difficult to identify
a Trojan's malicious activity. A security
solution should capture apps and
automatically reverse-engineer them,
enabling analysis that identifies
suspicious patterns and behaviours."
Fifth, Man-in the-middle attacks. "Manin-the-middle
attacks can eavesdrop,
intercept and alter traffic between two
devices," he says. "Enterprises need
behavioural analysis that can detect
rogue hotspots and malicious network
behaviour and conditions, and
automatically disable suspicious networks
to keep devices and data safe."
Finally, he advises that this system of
mobile security components must work
together cohesively to identify a wide
variety of threats, protect data and
address employee privacy concerns,
rather than being a loosely-integrated
mix of point products. "The solutions
have to be able to analyse behaviour
across all possible vectors for indicators
of attack, to keep mobile devices safe."
SECURITY HEADACHE
According to Mark Noctor, VP EMEA at
Arxan Technologies, "a mobile-ready
workforce can deliver some powerful
advantages, in terms of flexibility and
Dave Williams, 3M: another factor to
consider is the 'low tech' one of prying
eyes.
Michael Covington, Wandera: both the
enterprise and the end user have an
interest in making sure their sensitive
mobile data is secure.
www.computingsecurity.co.uk @CSMagAndAwards May/June 2017 computing security
27