Mobile devices have transitioned from optional tools to essential assets in today’s digital-first business landscape. They accelerate the speed of delivery to customers, enhance operational efficiency, increase worker productivity, offer flexibility for remote work, and more.
However, their widespread use also makes them prime targets for cyber threats. Mobile device security is now more critical than ever to safeguard personal and corporate data. This blog explores modern security tools and strategies to keep your enterprise devices secure.
Understanding Mobile Security Threats
Before we dive into the software and security tools needed to safeguard devices, it's important to understand the common threats that mobile devices face:
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Malware: The word “Malware” is a portmanteau that combines “Malicious” and “Software.” It refers to any type of software that intends to attack or corrupt your network, steal data or damage your device.
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Phishing: Phishing refers to a variety of fraudulent tactics that cybercriminals use to obtain sensitive information. Some examples of phishing include email spoofing, creating a sense of ‘urgency’ to perform an impulsive and ill-advised action, requests to click on links or downloads, and more.
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Data Breaches: When unauthorized users gain access to confidential data, it’s considered a data breach. Data breaches can occur due to granting accidental or intentional unauthorized user access, losing a device or having it stolen, sending or exposing personal data, using poor password security, running unpatched applications, and more. According to SOTI’s 2025 healthcare report, 83% of respondents have experienced an accidental data leak, external data breach or DDoS ransomware attack in the past 12 months, and 30% list data security as their top IT concern.
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SIM Swapping: SIM swapping is when a cybercriminal hijacks a phone number and gains access to it through a SIM card they control. The scammer will first collect personal data and information about someone before impersonating them and tricking their mobile carrier to transfer the phone number to the scammer’s SIM card.
Innovative Security Tools for Mobile Devices
The following tools are commonly leveraged across business to help protect corporate devices. However, these tools don’t need to be utilized in isolation or purchased separately. Mobile Device Management (MDM) is a comprehensive mobile solution that incorporates most, if not all, these tools and works as a centralized hub to manage and secure corporate data and devices.
1. Password Protection & Biometrics
Implementing strong password policies, such as character requirements and length, coupled with biometrics, such as touch or face scan, can significantly improve device and data security. While not infallible as many sophisticated cybercriminals can hack simple passwords in seconds, password complexity can certainly prolong and deter cybercriminals from gaining access.
2. Encryption Tools
Encryption is a method to help protect data if a device is lost or stolen or a user gains access to a device. The data is scrambled—converted to cyphertext—so that only authorized users with a key or passcode will be able to read the data.
3. Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) enhances security by requiring users to verify their identity through two or more factors. Verification factors can be something you know, such as a password or PIN, something you have, such as a phone or a key, and something you are, such as facial recognition or fingerprint.
4. Regular Software Updates
An MDM solution enables businesses to perform regular software updates across their entire device fleets. Software updates patch vulnerabilities, protect data, enhance device performance, fix bugs, and more. Ultimately, regularly updating software is good practice to maintain device health and performance.
5. Remote Wipe
By leveraging the remote wipe capabilities of MDM software, businesses can ensure that any sensitive data—both personal and business—is erased if a device is lost or stolen. IT admin can send a remote command to wipe all data, company-specific data, or other application-specific data.
6. Antivirus Software
Antivirus software helps protect your devices by detecting threats, performing proactive scans, updating software regularly, and providing robust security measures against malware. The program can isolate infected files and remove or block detected malware.
7. VPN
Virtual private networks (VPNs) secure your internet connection by encrypting data traffic, keeping sensitive information from being intercepted. Leveraging in-house VPN services eliminates tedious processes to initiate VPN sessions and/or enter usernames and passwords. Additionally, in-house VPN services often offer greater control through various modes of operation, including device-wide, per-app, and split-tunnel.
Best Practices for Mobile Security
In addition to using modern security tools, it’s important to follow these best practices:
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Have Cloud Backups: By incorporating Cloud backups into your security practices, you help ensure data is safe, recoverable, and accessible. You eliminate costly external hard drives and other hardware expenses. Additionally, an automated process to regularly backup data ensures that information is up to date.
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Avoid Public Wi-Fi: Use secure networks to prevent unauthorized access to corporate and personal data. Public Wi-Fi networks are susceptible to data interception, as they are often not encrypted. Cybercriminals can also infect devices with malware, leading to data theft or ransomware attacks.
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Disable Unnecessary Features: The more features you have enabled on your devices, the more attack surfaces cybercriminals have to potentially exploit. In addition, certain features track location or usage patterns. Disabling unnecessary features helps protect and improve privacy.
Protecting your mobile devices is essential in today's digital world. By leveraging modern mobile security tools and following best practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of cyber threats and keep your corporate and personal data safe.
