Category: Mobile Security

French companies seek to address security issues

Two French security contractors are preparing to dive into the mobile security space after the revelation of widespread government surveillance in 2013. The companies have identified a need for comprehensive security solutions in the mobile space, but are not only looking to mitigate government surveillance. There are made threats in the mobile world that extend well beyond the issue of surveillance, especially as mobile commerce becomes more popular. Both companies believe they can address these issues effectively in the near future.

Bull launches new mobile solution for businesses

Bull SA is one of the companies entering into the mobile security space. The company has launched a new mobile-centric solution for businesses called Hoox m2. The solution is available for the Android platform and has been engineered with hackers in mind. It is meant to secure communications made over mobile devices and remove the need for business professionals to speak in “unnecessary coded language.”

Thales aims to make business and personal communications safer

Thales SA, a defense contractor owned by the French government, is also breaking into the mobile security space. The firm has released an enterprise solution called Teopad. The solution is meant to make a digital mirror image of whatever device it is used on. One of the instances created by Teopad will be used for personal communications while the other will be used for business purposes. The business instance will be secured by Teopad’s encryption so as to prevent sensitive information from being stolen.

Businesses fall behind when it comes to mobile security

Mobile security is quickly becoming a top priority for businesses. Mobile technology has grown quite important to consumers and many businesses have fallen behind in terms of ensuring that they are secure against the threats that exist in the mobile space. Both Bull and Thales believe they can offer businesses solutions that can help them catch up to the growing popularity of mobile technology and protect themselves against malicious groups and mobile exploitation.

Many are looking at the latest version of the operating system as an indicator that Google is serious about safe devices.

As the largest operating system in terms of the number of users, it means that Android mobile security can be one of the biggest challenges as it is one of the most obvious targets by cyber criminals as it provides the largest opportunity in terms of users.

The popularity of attacks and threats on this operating system has been compared to Windows for desktops.

Being the most popular means that Android mobile security needs to be exceptionally high in order to fend off threats. The latest version of the operating system, KitKat, has considerable increased its settings to keep its users safe from malware. Until now, one of the primary problems with the OS is that fragmentation in its ecosystem among the various manufacturers has complicated the standards that it is able to offer. Considering that 79 percent of threats for smartphones and tablets are aimed at Android users, this is a considerable issue.

The fragmentation means that Android mobile security could be different from one device to the next.

Therefore, the protection on a Samsung device may be quite different from what an LG phone user might have. Therefore, a vulnerability may be addressed on one device, but it doesn’t mean that all of the device versions will corrected. Google is not unaware of this issue and has decided that its latest release, the version 4.4 KitKat, would include a number of security features that are enterprise focused.

Although Android mobile security has been increasingly building a reputation for being less powerful than that available through the Apple iOS, Google is highly focused on changing that trend. Although the solution is far from perfect, considering the open source nature of the operating system, the additional options such as in the form of KNOX and SAFE are helping to boost the protection in the devices. At the same time that this effort has been made, Google has also been expanding the reach of the devices based on its operating system beyond traditional mobile markets and into gaming, as well.