Category: Apps

A new report revealed the lack of protection enterprises are putting into place on employee devices.

MobileIron has released a new report providing insight on the state of mobile security shortfalls in business. Enterprises are inadequately securing employee mobile devices and apps. This leaves them open to a spectrum of cyber threats, says the MobileIron report.

The results of the study were published in the 2016 Q2 Mobile Security and Risk Review.

Fewer than 5 percent of companies have adequately implemented threat detection software. A mere 8 percent of enterprises have enforced updates to operating systems. Failing to take these very basic steps represents considerable mobile security shortfalls, says the report. Moreover, 40 percent of businesses have experienced a loss or theft of mobile devices. That represents an increase of 7 percent over only two quarters beforehand, in Q4 2015.

The insight provided by these statistics in mobile security shortfalls is considered to be quite alarming.

The main problem is that the number of mobile devices used for business is rising exponentially. Moreover, those devices are being used with a dramatically larger number of mobile apps. At the same time, the number of mobile security threats is growing explosively. The landscape is, therefore, becoming much more dangerous very quickly. However, businesses are not even covering the basics to make sure their data is secure.

According to MobileIron lead architect, James Plouffe, “The velocity of mobile attacks is increasing, but the latest data shows that enterprises are still not doing the things they could be to protect themselves. This lack of security hygiene demonstrates that enterprises are alarmingly complacent, even when many solutions are readily available.”

This situation is less problematic in the U.K. There, businesses take greater action against mobile security shortfalls than their counterparts from other countries. The research indicated that only 39 percent of U.K. businesses were out of compliance. This was the fewest among all the countries studied. Moreover, they also had the fewest compromised devices at only 4 percent. Furthermore, they experienced the lowest rate (17 percent) of having staff members remove mobile device management software from their smartphones and tablets.

Certain third party mobile apps and websites that gave trainers the ability to locate specific monsters are closed.

The latest Pokémon Go update has created a massive stir among its players. Mobile device users who feel like they have to “catch ‘em all” are now short several tools for doing so. Game apps and sites that had given trainers the ability to find specific Pokémon have now been shut down.

This is because the latest update to Pokémon Go has eliminated nearby tracking from its features.

This Pokémon Go update in particular has players up in arms. The update removed the feature for finding Pokémon located nearby and shut down third party maps revealing locations. That said, this first major update to the mobile game changed several other factors about the experience as well.

For example, players can now alter the appearance of their trainer. The curveball dynamics have also been changed. Part of the way gym battles function has been altered. The update improved the transfer process for sending unwanted Pokémon to professor Willow.

The footprint distance readings removal was the least popular among the Pokémon Go updates.

Services that players had been using to find nearby Pokémon have been widely shut down. These were forced to close with the latest game app update. This is causing massive upset among players of the most popular app in the world. After having become an overnight sensation that immediately drew millions upon millions of active players, it has already had over 100 million downloads.

Headlines have been repeatedly made as crowds of people have headed to various local landmarks. Dedication to the app has also led people to wander aimlessly into traffic, fall into holes and into lakes, oceans and rivers, walk into posts and even get caught cheating on their girlfriends.

It isn’t clear how long the hysteria over this mobile game app will continue, but what is clear at the moment is that players aren’t happy with the latest Pokémon Go update. One Reddit user, Oxgmum, wrote “Pokémon Go went from a game that I go out to play, to a game I play when I’m out, to a game I never play.” This gained the post more than 2,750 up votes in less than 24 hours.