SECURE YOUR COMPANY CYBERSPACE FROM YOUR SMARTPHONES: “VINCENT STECKLER”
“It comes down to just one oversight, for an outsider to hack into a corporate network easily,” says Vincent Steckler, chief executive of leading computer and mobile security firm Avast Software.
When Cyber security concerns on rise globally, Vincent Steckler has come up with a new theory that most of the security threats arise due to the number of smartphones used in the companies by the employees.
Cyber Crimes through smartphones
He has revealed that Cyber security threats in the corporate world are no more just from external sources. As more employees are using smartphones for work, companies face a greater risk of security break.
According to Mr. Vince, state-sponsored cyber-attacks are less damaging than “dropping bombs.” The threat of government spy agencies has also increased, with Android alarm clock apps creating more danger for the ordinary people.
Vincent further says, “People in Singapore don’t worry about security much, because it’s a safe country. But the weakest entry point to tapping a mobile device is actually the user.”
As an example, the 56-year-old shows how the use of fake mobile applications, which look realistic pretend to run updates on your mobile phone. Vincent adds, “All one needs to do is accept, and hackers have access to the company’s network.” Meaning by just accepting the request to run the updates on the phone, your phone permits a hacker for doing illegal cyber activities using your phone.
To safeguard trade secrets, identify the most important information and reinforce security to protect it.
He says: “It’s not just about installing firewalls that protect against external threats in general. Anti-virus alone can’t defend against an advanced persistent threat.”
Tips to Cyber Security
- To prevent such threats, Vincent speaks about the Avast apps for both the iOS and Android platforms, which tends to guard against privacy loss, identity theft, viruses, adware and spywares.
- Other solutions such as intrusion detection software and log analytic to track suspicious activity should be included for extra protection.
- Other than strengthening security on IT organizations, the “indirect threat” of social media platforms should also be taken seriously. While it is hard to monitor and control the online activities of the employees, the entire staff of the company should be made aware about the possible threats by the company officials.
- It is comparatively easier to supervise corporate websites and social media platforms. Vincent says: “Watch the type of pictures that are posted and don’t expose e-mail addresses or names.”
