Security pros don't think they can prevent a mobile breach

And physicians, nurses, executives and other healthcare staff are all carrying devices that are easily lost or stolen.

May 04, 2017

01:09 PM

A new report claims 64 percent of enterprise security professionals doubt their organizations can prevent a breach to employees’ mobile devices.

What’s more, 20 percent of businesses have experienced a mobile breach, while 24 percent don’t even know if they have or can’t tell whether they’ve had one, according to a new survey of 410 security professionals by Dimensional Research. The survey report is entitled “The Growing Threat of Mobile Device Security Breaches.”

[Also: How to fix healthcare's greatest cybersecurity weakness: People]

With hackers turning their attention to healthcare, organizations cannot afford any holes in their defenses. This includes mobile devices, which are ubiquitous in healthcare, carried by physicians, nurses, executives and staff. And they’re much more easily lost or stolen than PCs or laptops, and at least as susceptible to cybercriminals.

About 51 percent of professionals surveyed believe the risk of mobile data loss is equal to or greater than that on PCs. And 94 percent of respondents expect the frequency of mobile attacks to increase, while simultaneously 79 percent say the difficulty of securing mobile devices will grow.

[Also: HIMSS Privacy and Security Forum to focus on confronting internet of things, ransomware]

More than a third of respondents admit to failing to adequately secure mobile devices, with only 38 percent employing a dedicated mobile security solution other than a standard enterprise mobile management platform.

“The research consistently revealed that the overall focus and preparedness of security for mobile devices is severely lacking,” said David Gehringer, a principal at Dimensional Research. “Security professionals identified the risk of mobile devices, but focus and resources assignment seem to be waiting for actual catastrophes to validate the need to properly prepare their defenses. It’s unfortunate that so many companies have not learned from the past and are doomed to repeat wasted costs and the customer outrage of being breached.”

Learn more at the Privacy & Security Forum in San Francisco May 11-12, 2017. Register here.