Hidden Risks in Your Work Mobile Apps
If your business relies on mobile apps, you need to be aware of a growing risk that could put your entire enterprise in jeopardy: data leakage. All your work mobile apps, from remote collaboration tools to time tracking apps, could be exposing sensitive customer information, internal files, and even credentials that could unlock your entire system to unauthorized individuals without your knowledge.
It might sound dramatic, but if you don’t take action to address hidden risks, the results could be devastating.
Almost Every Work Mobile App Is at Risk
You read that right: almost every enterprise mobile app has security risks. Cybersecurity firm Zimperium recently analyzed over 17,000 mobile workforce solutions and found a significant number riddled with security issues. The most common include
- Misconfigured cloud storage (aka: wide open doors for hackers)
- Hardcoded credentials (passwords baked right into the code)
- Outdated cryptography (basically, broken locks on your data)
These flaws weren’t specific to one platform; however, the researchers found almost double the number of iOS app issues compared to Android — 11,626 vs. 6,037.
Why This Should Matter to You
The fact that so many productivity apps have security risks underscores an important point for business owners: apps don’t have to be malicious (i.e., hiding ransomware or other malware) to pose risks to your business’s data. The simple fact that they collect reams of data from users can create security risks if you don’t understand how the developers access and handle that information.
Essentially, even if your business uses custom-built third-party work mobile apps, they can create vulnerabilities like:
- Data breaches
- Loss of customer trust
- Regulatory fines
- Reputation damage
Even worse? These vulnerabilities often don’t show themselves until it’s too late.
Protect Your Business From Leaky Apps
Does all of this mean that you need to prohibit your team from using mobile apps for work? Not necessarily. After all, products like mobile CRM software support your sales team out in the field, while task management apps increase productivity and performance.
What it does mean is that you need to be more diligent in vetting the apps your team has access to and how they use them. More specifically:
- Audit the apps your business uses. IT security personnel should be aware of all the apps used in your company and understand their behavior patterns to ensure they adhere to best practices.
- Demand transparency from third-party vendors. Find out what kind of security measures they have in place for encryption, key management, addressing vulnerabilities, algorithm management, and integrated cloud SDKs.
- Update regularly. Outdated apps are low-hanging fruit for cybercriminals, so make sure everything you use has the latest security patches.
- Avoid storing sensitive data in apps unless necessary. An app can’t leak data that’s not there.
- Train your team. Make sure your employees know the risks and how to avoid common slip-ups.
Again, securing your business doesn’t mean you need to ditch work mobile apps; you simply need to be aware of the potential risks and take steps to uncover and address them. When you do, you can enjoy the increased productivity without worries.
