Data Loss from Missing Devices Ranks First Among Top Mobile Threats

Data loss from stolen or lost mobile devices ranks as the top mobile threat related to device security.

The rankings, released by Cloud Security Alliance, came from a survey of more than 200 enterprise participants. A main goal of this survey was to provide guidance on where enterprises should place resources to address mobile device security threats, CSA said.

Rank of top mobile threats:

Personally owned mobile devices are increasingly being used to access employers systems and cloud-hosted data, both via browser-based and native mobile applications,” said John Yeoh, research analyst for the Cloud Security Alliance. ”This without a doubt is a tremendous concern for enterprises worldwide.”

The Top Threats to Mobile Computing report focused on threats posed by smartphones and tablets, and these results are intended to help information security professionals and to educate the industry about security concerns.  

Dan Hubbard, CTO of OpenDNS, said, “As we move further into an era where mobile computing is ubiquitous, we’re seeing an entirely new threat landscape that involves newer concerns like lost devices and rogue marketplaces, but also a heightened level of concern over insecure public Wi-Fi as we rely more and more on access as we travel.”