With technology advancing at a speeding rate, mobile phones are providing state-of-the-art software to protect users against security threats. But are we really secure? A recent Symantec analysis of the Apple iOS and Google Android has proven to be vulnerable despite its hight security. These vulnerabilities pose a threat towards major corporations.
The company has announced a PDF release of the analysis to help corporations understand the risks involved by use of these devices within an enterprise. The analysis offers more detailed information towards the security models employed by both companies. The details provide each platform’s effectiveness against major threats such as web-based and network-based attacks, malware and social engineering attacks. In addition, the abuse towards resource and service availability, malicious and unintentional data loss and attacks on the integrity of the devices’ data may occur.
Symantec’s Chief Architect Carey Nachenberg commented “While more secure than traditional PCs, these platforms are still vulnerable to many traditional attacks” and also stated that “Enterprise employees are increasingly using unmanaged, personal devices to access sensitive enterprise resources, and then connecting these devices to 3rd-party services outside of the governance of the enterprise, potentially exposing key assets to attackers.”
The most interesting topic open to discussion is that latest mobile platforms have been designed to provide users with high end security. These provisions are proven to be inadequate as they are vulnerable to attacks and may cause misuse of company assets. With the emergence of many 3rd party cloud and desktop-based services, the risk towards enterprise assets has been increasing. These services pose as a threat towards mobile devices that are being constantly connected and synchronized with them.
Both platforms are still vulnerable to many existing attacks. The iOS platform offers strong security towards malware due to Apple’s rigorous app certification and developer certification process. Android on the other hand, has a weaker certification model allowing developers to anonymously create applications. Users having jailbroken devices are more liable to be attacked as security modules are disabled.
Not that the results may have surprised anyone in particular, but improved security will almost certainly feature in the priority list for both companies.