Menlo mobile risk report

New research from cloud security leader, Menlo Security (www.menlosecurity.com) shows that three-quarters of users believe they are more vulnerable to mobile attacks compared to a year ago.

The ‘Menlo Security Mobile Risk 2021 Report’ – which explores the security considerations and concerns around mobile usage as more businesses today operate remotely – revealed that 92% of UK respondents agree that attacks on mobiles are becoming ‘more frequent and more sophisticated’ (the highest figure globally) compared to the global average of 86%.

Partnering with Sapio Research (www.sapioresearch.com) more than 600 IT decision makers across the UK, US, and Australia, including CIOs and CISOs were surveyed to reveal that over half of global respondents (53%; UK: 50%) admitted that it’s not possible to be prepared for all of the tactics and strategies used by attackers targeting mobile devices.  More than a third (38%; UK: 35%) claimed that it’s impossible to keep up with the pace of these attacks.

The survey also found that three-quarters of IT decision makers believe their organizations are more vulnerable to mobile cyber attacks than ever before.  It is of little surprise that 73% of global respondents (UK: 67%) believe that end users are now more susceptible to cyber attacks on mobile devices than they were five years ago.  The survey also found that 76% of respondents (UK: 76%) believe they are more vulnerable to mobile attacks than just a year ago following the shift to remote and hybrid work environments.

“Although many organizations are confident in their ability to identify and prevent mobile attacks, often this is just overconfidence in legacy solutions that are not able to provide 100% protection against the latest waves of socially engineered attacks, such as Phishing and Smishing or zero-days,” says Mark Guntrip, senior director of cybersecurity strategy for Menlo Security.  “Even experienced professionals can fall victim to these attacks and the only way to truly prevent them in the first place is through isolation, which secures work regardless of where it happens.”

Global IT decision makers also acknowledged that 71% (UK: 72%) of them had experienced phishing attacks.  Although a majority of respondents admitted they are either more susceptible to mobile attacks or they have already encountered one, a surprisingly high percentage still felt confident in the ability of their organization to both identify and prevent them.  Although mobile devices often make it difficult to identify the telltale signs of malicious emails or links, such as URL addresses, 88% (UK: 86%) still believe in their ability to identify them and 84% (UK: 81%) trust in their ability to prevent them.

When asked who is responsible for the security of mobile devices used for work purposes, the UK was the highest for ‘organizations’ (63% vs. 55% globally) but lowest for ‘mobile vendors’ (15% vs. 20% globally).  While 22% said ‘end-users’ (vs. 25% globally).

“Threat actors are always looking for the path of least resistance and given the large number of organizations and employees who are still working remotely, mobile devices have entered into the centre of attackers’ crosshairs.  Unfortunately, mobile security has often been an afterthought for enterprise security strategies.  Today’s businesses must rethink how they’re safeguarding their networks and what avenues are most susceptible to threats in the remote work landscape,” comments Guntrip.

The ‘Menlo Security Mobile Risk 2021 Report’ can be downloaded from www.menlosecurity.com