January 27, 2017
It's easier than ever to use smartphones as go-to devices for accessing sensitive data and critical apps. Unfortunately, it's also easier for cybercriminals to take advantage of them. More and more attacks target data on these devices: email, chat, credentials to other services. If an attacker compromises your devices, they can steal data and credentials, but they can also monitor where you go, whom you meet with, why you meet with them, and what you say.Until now, general attacks in the enterprise were on computers. Because of the rise in two-factor authentication, and because of two-factor authentication via phone, the phone has become part of the cyber kill chain. If a hacker wants privileges within an organization, or their VPN, at some point he or she will have to compromise an employee's phone.
The severity of business risk varies from victim to victim. If an entry-level human resources employee says their phone is acting strange, it may spark less concern than if the same complaint came from a high-level exec who was recently on a major assignment overseas. The risk profile is less about behaviour than about why the behaviour is likely.
Businesses face several challenges when it comes to strengthening their mobile security. Employees bring several types of devices, powered by multiple carriers, and running many versions of different mobile operating systems. Unlike PCs, corporate mobile phones often double as personal devices. Many people don't yet realize the huge problem mobile security presents to the business. We think of the phone as an extension of the Motorola flip phone, not realizing it's the most powerful digital access device that we have.
Here are some key red flags that could indicate a smartphone has been hacked:
- Websites Appear Differently
- Presence Of Mysterious Apps
- Rapidly Decreasing Battery Life
- Increase In Blacklisted Network Traffic
- Sensitive Data Leaks
If for any reason you think your phone may have been hacked then please contact the CCS Help Centre.
Source: DARKReading [1]