Although the landscape looks dangerous, there are things that you can do to protect yourself quite robustly. Here are the security features that you should look for in a security partner as well as the actions that you can take in house to protect your personal information and your proprietary intellectual property.
Covering Vulnerabilities
There is an incredibly low barrier to entry when it comes to creating an app, meaning that you might be inviting a Trojan or other piece of malware if you do not watch what you download. The first tactic that you can employ is to verify the producer of any app that you put onto your phone – does this studio have a history of good security on its side? How many apps has this group created in the past, and what was the response to those apps in terms of security? You can bet that the comments section will be ripe with criticism if any app serves as a Trojan horse, so read the comments section thoroughly before committing to an app.
As purveyors of the two largest distribution centers for new apps, Google and Apple have taken great pains to ensure that their operating systems are able to detect and remove malware that comes in from apps on their platforms. You can protect yourself by making sure that you have the latest update to the operating system on your phone as soon as it comes out. Do not ignore any of the update reminders that you receive – take them immediately before downloading any new apps.
Additionally, you can avoid many pieces of malware by only downloading apps from the larger app distribution networks such as iTunes or Google Play. If you are prone to try to circumvent a $0.99 download fee by moving into the world of torrents, keep in mind that most Trojans come from this world. Look at the $0.99 as a fee for security if you need to, because it is virtually impossible to create any sort of viable security policy on a BYO device.
Keeping Up with the Latest Vulnerabilities
Many researchers make it their business to locate and identify new threats as they come out. Some of the latest pieces of malware include LinkedOut, Malicious Profiles, No iOS Zone and Invisible Malicious Profiles. Keep up with these vulnerabilities and the fixes that security experts create in opposition to them.
You are much more likely to run into threats using a mobile phone because of the sheer number of networks that you connect to when you use a mobile phone. Mobile devices currently need to connect to anywhere from 10 to 100 times more networks than a desktop PC just to work. Many different types of attacks will work in this kind of an open environment that would be much harder in a desktop PC environment, including Man in the Middle attacks, traffic redirection and decryption attacks. This is true even if your WiFi connection is turned off – your phone can be coerced into joining a malicious network without your consent in the same way that it turns itself off after a certain amount of time depending on your settings.
Security Consultation for Websites
All of the day to day precautions will only reduce your instances of running into a malicious user or coding, not eliminate them. Self protection is also hindered by the fact that most people have other things to do outside of constantly check their phones for new security updates and run antivirus programs on every app. As stated before, the only real way to consistently reduce the threat of malicious programs is to equip yourself with a network that is of the scale of the network that is attacking you.
Outsourcing your day to day security is especially important to consider if you are running a small business. The usually unprotected shared networks that small businesses inhabit make them a very meaty target for modern hackers. Getting caught in the crossfire of an attack that is not even meant for you is par for the course if you do not have a professional security network that is watching your back day and night.
Personalized IT Security for the Business World
24 hour protection is essential if your business is of any substantial size. If you are responsible for the personal or financial information of clients, then you may have a legal responsibility to protect your business network as well. Your risk is heightened if you use your mobile devices for a substantial portion of your online commerce.
Personalized IT security services for the small business market have become much more robust in the past few years. In order to build a business, you need this 24 hour, established protection to surround you at all times. Professional security will help you stay in compliance with new regulations that are levied on the business community from time to time, especially if you are doing international commerce. You will also drive customers to you as they recognize the seal of quality from the security network that you employ.
Outsourcing your security to a professional network also allows you to do better day to day business. There are very few companies, especially small businesses, with the in house staff to direct specifically to the security of the company. When you outsource, you allow your in house staff and yourself the ability to focus on building your business rather than worrying about each download and update.
The history of cyber crime and the response to it shows a definitive trend – as the money moves, so does the target. Protect yourself well in advance of a malicious user targeting your business with the right security features from day one. If you prepare yourself for the eventual attack today, you will be much better prepared to ward it off when it actually comes. You may even be able to completely avoid being on the radar of malicious users with the right security team by your side