The behavior of corporate mobile workers

Source: Technology Digital

Date :29/08/2007 12:17:54

Trend Micro Inc., a network antivirus and Internet content security software and services provider, has released a study about the behavior of corporate mobile workers.

In recent years, mobile technology and mobile working has increased, says Trend Micro. While this can benefit worker accessibility, effectiveness and productivity, it can also lead to many increased risks. According to the company’s study, the more mobile an end user is, the more likely he is to send confidential information via Instant Messaging or Web mail.

The study indicates that in Japan, both desktop and mobile, corporate end users are more likely than users elsewhere to send confidential information to colleagues or business partners through instant messages or web mail.

In the US, 58 percent of respondents who have access to the Internet outside the company network via company laptops admitted to sending confidential information by Web mail. This is comparable to admissions of 42 percent of those who always connect to the internet via the company network.

According to respondents from Germany, UK and the US, mobile users are also more likely than desktop users, to engage in risky online behavior such as visiting social networking sites and downloading movies, while on the company network. Of German respondents, for example, 54 percent of mobile end users downloaded executable files while they were on their company's network, compared to 41 percent of desktop users.

Japan was the only country surveyed which contrasted with this general response. In Japan, only 49 percent of mobile end users downloaded executable files while on the company network, compared to 60 percent of desktop workers.

The study tracked responses from 1,600 corporate computer end users across US, UK, Germany and Japan. Interestingly, in all countries surveyed, except Japan, the more mobile an end user is, the more likely they are to receive spam and phishing attacks.

- In US, 77 percent of mobile workers reported receiving spam at work in the past three months compared to 68 percent of those who use a desktop computer.

- Additionally, 40 percent of mobile workers in the US reported receiving phishing attacks at work in the past three months compared to 31 percent of desktop computer users.

- Of mobile workers in the UK, 76 percent reported receiving spam at work in the past three months compared to 63 percent of desktop computer users.

- 80 percent of German mobile workers reported receiving spam at work in the past three months compared to 70 percent of desktop computer users.

Indications also suggest that mobile users are often more technically savvy and better educated regarding esoteric security threats such as pharming and phishing. In US, for example 61 percent of mobile end users are aware of Web threats compared to 49 percent of desktop computer users.

Such trends in risky behavior are concerning, because Web threats are more pervasive today and are the fastest-growing threat vector. They are more sophisticated, comprise multiple components, and leverage the Web to update, hide, communicate and transmit stolen information. With hackers becoming more organized and increasingly motivated by profit, criminal opportunity is greater than ever.

"Risky behavior by mobile workers is increasing the challenge for IT administrators and security specialists," says Raimund Genes, Trend Micro CTO for anti-malware. "Mobile workers may often be unaware of the risk they pose to the corporate network and that their behavior is increasing the risk to corporate security. Of particular concern to our customers is the admission by users to having sent confidential information over tools such as Instant Messenger. The pervasive use of the Web combined with the complexity of protecting against Web threats creates possibly the greatest challenge to corporate security in a decade."

Traditional means of protection do not provide adequate protection from Web threats, and no single method or technology will improve this situation. Instead, a multi-layered, comprehensive set of techniques must be brought to bear to address the newest class of threats. Trend Micro's Web Threat Protection Strategy is a multilayered, multi-threat approach that includes innovative technologies deployed at the gateway, in the network, on the PC, and 'in-the-cloud,' working seamlessly together to proactively respond to new and emerging Web threats.