How Mobile Devices Became the Bad Guys’ Favourite Weapon

Posted: Monday, Jan 20

KBI.Media
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How Mobile Devices Became the Bad Guys’ Favourite Weapon

Karissa Breen, more commonly known as KB, is crowned a LinkedIn ‘Top Voice in Technology’, and widely recognised across the global cybersecurity industry. A serial entrepreneur, she is the co-founder of the TMFE Group, a portfolio of cybersecurity-focused businesses spanning an industry-leading media platform, a specialist marketing agency, a content production studio, and the executive headhunting firm, MercSec. Now based in the United States, KB oversees US editorial operations and leads the expansion of the group’s media footprint across North America, while maintaining a strong presence in Australia, and the broader global market. She is the former Producer and Host of the streaming show 2Fa.tv, and currently sits at the helm of journalism for the group’s flagship arm, KBI.Media, the independent cybersecurity media company. As a cybersecurity investigative journalist, KB hosts her globally-renowned podcast, KBKast, where she interviews leading cybersecurity practitioners, CISOs, government officials including heads-of-state, and industry pioneers from around the world. The podcast has been downloaded in over 65 countries with more than 400,000 global downloads, influencing billions of dollars in cybersecurity budgets. KB is known for asking the hard questions and extracting real, commercially relevant insights. Her approach provides an uncoloured, strategic lens on the evolving cybersecurity landscape, demystifying complex security issues and translating them into practical intelligence for executives navigating risk, regulation, and rapid technological change.

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How Mobile Devices Became the Bad Guys’ Favourite Weapon

From Karissa Breen

Everyone is glued to their mobile devices, sinister cyber threats lurk beneath those sleek screens, waiting to exploit our casual scrolling and innocent application installations. According to Jeff Lindholm, Chief Revenue Officer at Lookout Technologies, our beloved smartphones and tablets are digital best friends – but most are unware their risks that lie behind the blue light screens.

The reality that many security experts may prefer to sweep under the rug.

“The mobile edge is probably the most popular and growing attack vector for bad guys, more so than maybe any other edge device,” he warned, sounding the alarm on a pervasive yet underestimated danger.

Rewinding to the genesis of mobile technology, Lindholm recalled a time when cellular phones were voice devices, completely detached from our ‘digital society’.

Fast forward a decade, and they have morphed into essential connectors of personal and corporate data – a metamorphosis dam for hackers to exploit.

“When security for mobile devices began, it was all about protecting the consumer, preventing personal data theft and bank account breaches. But now, they’ve been weaponised as gateways into the very heart of enterprises.”

While many organisations have fortified their laptops and desktops, their mobile devices remain under protected. Phishing attempts, now more likely to target your phone than your laptop, people are spending more than ever on their devices.

How many of us casually download apps, oblivious to the possible malware lurking within?

“There are probably a lot of people who have malware on their phones and don’t know about it,” Lindholm said.

Lookout’s telemetry tracks a quarter-billion devices and 350 million mobile apps. Your mobile device could be a double agent, working for you by day, feeding sensitive information to cyber criminals by night.

“If you’re in the security realm and you haven’t embraced the mobile edge as a place to build security for and around, it’s time to rethink your strategy.” Added Lindholm.

The emergence and the reliance on gig economy contractors and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies, in turn complicates the task of securing mobile devices. Still, Lindholm insists it’s achievable.

As you’re likely reading this on your smartphone, consider the potential invisible risks you’re harbouring. The battlefield has shifted, and our handheld devices are the new frontline. The overlooked mobile security complacency is over.