Mobile Device Security Checklist

Mobile devices are no longer relegated to the novelty category they were just a few decades ago. In the modern world, we rely on our mobile devices for all kinds of activities, from work to personal. This creates a fairly complex threat landscape. For enterprise-level organizations looking to implement serious security strategies for mobile devices, it can be difficult to balance flexibility with convenience.

Below you’ll find a mobile device security checklist that will help your team make the most out of your security policies.

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Read the complete guide on securing data for mobile devices

Why Mobile Device Security is Important

In the modern enterprise environment, mobile devices are in charge of handling loads of sensitive data. Whether it's work-related or personal, protecting this data is the prime concern for strategies surrounding mobile devices security. With around 5 billion people using their mobile devices worldwide, taking a serious approach to securing devices in your enterprise network should always be on your mind.

Moreover, data breaches are becoming more common and more costly. How much? Well, from 2020 to 2021, data breach costs rose from $3.86 billion to $4.24 billion. Mobile devices present new attack surfaces for malicious actors to manipulate. Keeping up with this changing threat landscape means implementing robust security policies that meet your organization's needs.

Threats can come in many forms. It could be network challenges like man-in-the-middle attacks, sophisticated phishing threats and or just plain old physical theft of devices. Whatever the source, businesses looking to keep their data secure need to take mobile device security seriously.

Mobile Device Security Checklist

Let’s take a look at some common areas teams will need to focus on to help mitigate the threats posed by mobile devices.

Start with Device Management

• Is your team selecting devices that can meet the security requirements of your enterprise?

Working with manufacturers when possible and tracking supply chain risks is essential to selecting the right devices.

• Are you enabling automatic updates that can help your managed devices get critical security patches when they are needed?

This includes operating system (OS) updates.

• What’s your device trust policy?

Ensuring that devices that connect to your enterprise network are trusted is a key step in overall security. This includes denying access to untrusted devices.

Are You Staying In Control if Devices Go Missing?

• Do you have policies in place for lost or stolen devices that your entire staff understands?
• Does your IT team have remote wipe capabilities?
• Does every managed device in the network have password protection?
• Will devices automatically lock if left unattended for a period of time?
• Are the devices on your network discoverable with location-based tracking?
• Does your IT team have backup and restore capabilities?

Are You Using Strong Authentication?

• Are you enabling device authentication and enforcing a strong password policy for all mobile devices?
• Are you enabling 2-factor authentication (2FA) when possible? 

This is especially important for access to enterprise networks.

• Have you tested your authentication strategy?
• Can you manage users with multiple registered devices?

Is Your Team Practicing Good App Security?

• Are you disabling third-party app stores when possible?

These are common spreaders or malware, so stick with curated app stores.

• Are you minimizing personally identifiable information (PII)? 
• Do enterprise apps operate in isolation?

Using security containers to isolate sensitive data activities can help prevent data exfiltration between personal and work-related applications.

• Are you restricting permissions for applications?

Disabling permissions for cameras and things like location data should be the standard.

• Is your team vetting the applications end-users are using?
• Are you restricting OS and application synchronization?

This can help prevent data leakage.

• Do all devices on your network have appropriate antivirus and anti-malware capabilities?
• Do you keep an updated whitelist for approved applications?
• Can developers quickly deploy secure corporate applications?
• Are you able to detect unauthorized devices when they connect to your network?

Do End-Users Understand Your Mobile Device Security Policies?

• Does your team understand the risks associated with mobile devices?

Pay special attention to social engineering threats like phishing.

• Do team members know about all the risks associated with third-party and untrusted applications?
• Are you providing up-to-date training and information to your team regularly?

Keeping end-users educated on the risks associated with mobile use is essential.

• Does your team understand what’s expected of them regarding managing their own mobile devices securely?
• Are you accounting for different learning styles for maximum impact?

Some people learn better with visual aids or hands-on experience. Make sure you meet your team halfway in regard to how you relay this important information.

• Do you have a system to keep track of who has gone through training?

Having signable documentation is key for tracking your workforce.

Are You Protecting Network Communications?

• Do devices disable unneeded network radios?

This includes Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), wireless and GPS.

• Have you disabled user certificates?

In almost every case, you should consider user certificates as untrustworthy in your network.

• Are you using secure communications through apps and protocols?

Can You Monitor Your Network in Real-Time?

• Do you have the option of taking a snapshot of your complete mobile device landscape? 
• Are you able to create reports and use them for auditing, compliance and logging?
• Does your system have the option of creating alerts when security breaches occur?

Archon Mobile: Security You Can Trust

A mobile device security checklist is an important tool to help you keep your enterprise devices secure. But that’s not all you can do.

At Archon Mobile, we’ve created a mobile security solution that helps mitigate the risks and threats while still offering the end-user a traditional mobile experience. By using personas, we can separate work activity from personal activity without impeding the convenience of the mobile device.

We build our platform with some of the strictest security guidelines available. While our system is at home working with top-secret government agencies, Archon Mobile is more than capable of taking your enterprise mobile security strategies to the next level. If you want to learn how Archon Mobile can help your team stay connected and secure, reach out today!