Higher Security and Privacy Levels Needed on Smartphones to Safeguard Sensitive Data

With Limited Security Settings, Cyber-Criminals are Targeting Potentially Valuable Data on Smartphones, Says Wileyfox

25 November 2015; Dubai, United Arab Emirates: As GCC smartphone users increasingly use their mobile devices to store and access sensitive personal, financial, and business data, as well as make online payments, security settings must be carefully evaluated, warns UK smartphone manufacturer, Wileyfox.

Research done by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International, indicates that while GCC businesses are increasingly adopting ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) policies to promote more flexible working conditions and improve employee satisfactions rates, almost 20 percent of business owners say that loss of employee devices account for the largest source of data breach. IT experts at Bit9+Carbon Black estimate that the average cost of data breaches is USD 5.4 million (AED19.8 million).

Smartphone users are also entering sensitive banking information into their devices as they increasingly use their mobile phones for banking and online shopping. With approximately 57 percent of online purchases made using a smartphone, a PayPal-Ipsos report released earlier this year ranks the UAE as the second strongest mobile commerce market in the world. This is only surpassed by China with 68 percent online purchases made via smartphones.

This is good news for cyber-criminals as they are increasingly targeting mobile devices to obtain potentially valuable information. A recent study conducted by Norton and Symantec found that around 38 percent of smartphone users were victims of cyber-attacks in 2013 through scam applications, mobile ransomware, spyware, and intercepting mobile transactions.

“GCC smartphone users store large volumes of sensitive data on their mobile devices by accessing work files, mobile banking, mobile shopping, or saving personal photographs and messages. Cybercriminals are aware that smartphones often have limited security measures compared to other devices, making it crucial that strict security measures are implemented on smartphones,” said Nitin Sood, Managing Director of Wileyfox, MEA.

“Having observed global trends, Wileyfox has strategically partnered with software partner Cyanogen to offer customers more advanced security and privacy settings to safeguard personal data. This will allow our customers to work and play on their smartphones with more confidence.”

The newly launched Wileyfox Swift and Storm devices come with Cyanogen OS 12.1, and incorporate Qualcomm SecureMSM technology to offer some of the highest security and privacy settings in the industry.

“At Cyanogen, we take privacy and security very seriously. This is why we have features like Privacy Guard, PIN Scramble, and Protected Apps.  Privacy Guard allows users to control what information they share with apps, PIN Scramble randomizes the numbers behind a user’s device keypad making it difficult to track passwords, and with Protected Apps, we’ve added yet another layer of security by storing select apps in hidden lockable folders,” said Vikram Natarajan, Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships and Distribution for Cyanogen.

Cyanogen OS 12.1 is an advanced operating system built on Android Lollipop 5.1, and is known for its revolutionary personalization features, intuitive interface, speed, improved battery life, and enhanced security. Cyanogen OS also allows users to tailor their mobile device and content experiences through deep levels of customization, ranging from icons and shortcuts, to lock screens, and music audio quality.

The brand’s flagship device, the Wileyfox Storm, is now available across the GCC, exclusively on the region’s largest online retailer, Souq.com, and is already proving to be a best seller. The Storm features a 5.5-inch fully laminated FHD display, a 20MP rear camera and 8MP front camera – both with flash and various shooting features, the Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Chipset, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal ROM, expandable up to 128GB, 4G LTE connectivity, and is priced at only AED 799.