Managing Threats of Cyber-Attacks on Mobile Devices

Academic Paper from the year 2017 in the subject Computer Science - IT-Security, grade: 2, Egerton University, language: English, abstract: Evidently, mobile phones and other mobile devices have taken over personal computers. They have become part of personal and business lives amongst the users. Regardless of they have brought unlimited challenges especially on issues of security. Cyber-attacks not only within individuals but also for businesses and government entities have threatened the welfare of mobile phones. Attacks on smartphones are on the high increase and quite sophisticated. This is quite alarming considering the fact that these devices are increasingly used to access and store sensitive personal information. In addition, they have also been used to conduct vital transactions such as in banking and online shopping. Vulnerability of attacks is high especially when attackers target unsuspecting users. Inasmuch as attacks target individuals, companies have also experienced similar threats that in the long run lead to massive losses whether as a result of breach of privacy and the risk of data loss or the resources used to secure the platforms. As a matter of fact, it has been estimated that cyber-attacks in mobile devices is very high as compared to personal computers. Nevertheless, the trend has been severed by ignorance of users who either fail to enable the security settings in their mobile devices or lack the resources to acquire more advanced mobile security. In overall, the industry has experienced laxity in providing up-to-date security technologies to secure mobile devices accordingly.