Smartphones Opening Holes in Security

July 25, 2008: Endpoint data protection provider GuardianEdge has released the results of a recent consumer survey on smartphone usage, revealing that 70 percent of respondents access what they deem to be sensitive information on their handset when away from the office, creating security risks.

In its “Smartphone Protection Consumer Survey,” GuardianEdge claims that today’s businesses have become “always on” environments, and that employees are becoming increasingly reliant on mobile devices for connectivity when on the go.

Conducted by marketing research provider Decipher, the survey found that 89 percent of the 200 respondents polled stated that they were able to review e-mail or access corporate information via their smartphone device.

GuardianEdge says that this constant connectivity to company systems, without appropriate protections in place, can create tremendous vulnerabilities in IT security infrastructure – particularly as the devices become smaller, more powerful and more susceptible to loss or theft.

Despite the risks, 69 percent of respondents believe it is necessary to store company information on their smartphone in order to perform their job, and many use their own mobile devices when corporate ones are not provided.

GuardianEdge says that with continuous access to corporate information becoming a necessity for the workforce, organisations can no longer ignore the use of personal smartphones. Because of this, and the risks they pose to IT security, appropriate measures must be in place to secure all end points from accidental data loss and unauthorised access.

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