Analysts pitch web services and virtualisation for mobile security

Enterprises looking to guard against malware infections should develop a solid set of mobile security policies and practices based on virtualisation and web-based platforms, according to analysts.

Researchers with Gartner said that firms should adopt a solid set of mobile device management (MDM) best practices based on limiting employee use of jailbroken hardware and carefully managing application access and policies.

According to analysts, businesses are being put at a higher risk for malware infections and data breaches by allowing employees to jailbreak their devices, removing restrictions on software installation. While the process allows for the use of third-party software and unauthorised applications, it also removes vital security controls and makes the devices more likely to be infected.

The analysts said that unlike the spread of PC malware, mobile attacks are often smaller in scale and more isolated, preying on reckless user behaviour and at times relying on the physical theft or loss of hardware. Because the mobile security space is driven by a different user approach, analysts argue that firms should also formulate new security plans for the mobile space.

In addition to limiting jailbreak procedures, analysts also recommend that administrators enforce data security policies that protect and isolate important data and limit access to carefully managed 'container' systems. The researchers also recommend that administrators rely on web-based security platforms and services to help limit the exposure of mobile devices and allow for remote wiping of lost and stolen devices.

“At the present time, the biggest risk when using mobile devices will continue to be potential exposure after device loss, and data leakage caused by users, rather than attacks caused by malware,” Gartner said in its report.

“Risk management is all about addressing the most likely risks first, and periodic reports of individual malicious executables have not changed the equation for managing the risks of mobile device use.”

Spammers using web hosts to evade security tools

Spammers are increasingly looking to use web-based services in order to beat the antispam protections in security software, according to research from Virus Bulletin.

The security research and testing firm is reporting that its latest anti-spam study revealed that rather than rely solely on malware-infested PCs and botnets to send spam emails, cybercriminals are taking advantage of web hosting firms to send unsolicited messages.

Overall, researchers have found that the web-based messages were slightly more successful at evading security tools, thus giving the spammers a slightly better chance of getting users to view and follow their spam messages. In a high-volume market such as spam marketing, the higher failure rate can make a big difference for the success of a campaign.

“The report shows that well over one percent of spam sent from web hosts manages to bypass spam filters, compared with less than 0.3 percent for spam sent via other means,” said Virus Bulletin anti-spam test director Martijn Grooten

“Of course, one percent still means the vast majority of messages are blocked, but with spam campaigns easily running to millions of emails, this difference can make or break the campaign for the spammer."

Overall, the report found that anti-spam tools are highly-effective for keeping junk mail out of customer inboxes. Of the products tested in the report, all blocked more than 97 percent of spam messages while maintaining a false positive rate less than 0.25 percent.

Among the top performers in the test were BitDefender and Fortinet. Researchers also noted that LibraEsva, Kaspersky and OnlyMyEmail achieved detection rates above 99 percent while minimising false positive rates.