Securing your Mobile Device

I posted an article last week around my thoughts for using smartphones in business.  This is really a follow up post, or a companion to that, looking at some of the specific details around protecting your mobile device should it get lost or stolen.  I would argue that it’s probably pretty important to be able to lock down, track and / or remote wipe your mobile device regardless of whether your use if professional, personal or both. It is highly likely that there will be important data on it that you wouldn’t want falling into the wrong hands.  So whilst security of mobile devices in business is a requisite, this article probably applies to anyone using mobile phones or Internet devices regardless of scenario.

The main point of my previous article was that securing smartphones isn’t something that can only be done with Blackberries, as some people would seem to want you to believe.  In fact, most devices can be secured to a very high level.  One of the products I mentioned was WaveSecure.  I’ve had experience with this on Android but it is also available for Windows Mobile, Symbian and Blackberry OS as well.  The only omissions are WebOS and iOS.

I wanted to look specifically at the features of WaveSecure to highlight what it adds to the default offerings of all the OS’s it supports.  The fact that is has a Blackberry flavour shows me the perception that those devices are the only ones fit for enterprise is no longer accurate. So let’s look at the primary features something such as WaveSecure can offer:

• Backups – of contacts, call logs and SMS
• Restore – of the same]
• Lock Down – Immediately ensure no one can access your device
• Data Wipe – immediately remove all data and information stored on your device
• Remote Tracking – Locate your device via GPS
• Anti-Tamper Functionality – automatic lock down of the device when someone tries to remove or change the SIM card.

Over The Air (OTA) backups and restores are very useful, although probably not pure security features.  They’re also pretty self explanatory so I don’t intend to cover them any further here.

Let’s start with remote tracking; this is something I first saw introduced with the iPhone via Apple’s MobileMe service. And what a great use of GPS within the device! This is useful in scenarios where you have misplaced your phone and simply need a steer on a rough location to jog your memory, but as a true security feature it can be invaluable.  Knowing that whenever your phone is on, you will be able to figure out an approximate location is pretty powerful (and useful).

Now we start getting into the serious stuff. Lock down – locally, remotely and as an automated response to any form of tampering with the device.  I recently purchased a Palm Pre to use alongside my Nexus One. When I removed the SIM from the N1 to use in the Pre, the Android device immediately locked down. Luckily I remembered my PIN and so could unlock it relatively easily.  And this, to me, is a very important point: as with all aspects of security I believe there needs to be the correct balance between protection and usability. Had it been impossible to unlock the device without replacing the SIM, this would have been a real problem for me as I wanted to continue to leave my Android device on without a SIM to ensure it was updated via WiFi ready for when it needed it.

It is also possible to enable lockdown remotely, via the web interface.  Simply log into your account and click the button. A great service just to secure your device until you find it again – or until you’ve had a chance to report it to the police and replace it.

The final option is the device wipe.  This can be done locally, I guess if you needed to return the device for replacement or something similar.  I know this is a default feature on the iPhone as I have done exactly this when I had an issue with mine. I’m not sure why this isn’t a default option within Android (maybe it is), but it is a useful feature for this type of scenario. But more important is the remote wipe feature.  Again, something that is available on other handsets including the iPhone and Blackberry is the ability to initiate a remote wipe.  It’s a strange omission for Android and one that I believe would hold it back hugely from any mass adoption within enterprise (maybe this highlights a real consumer focus, I’m not sure).  But the remote wipe feature via Wave Secure seems pretty all encompassing.  It literally sets it back to default – a vital feature.  Again this is easily initiated via the web interface.

So for me, this plugs a significant gap in security of my remote device.  And for $19 a year it’s a no brainer to me and my company.  Part of me wonders if more devices would benefit from this functionality.  Given that laptops are appearing more and more as GPS and 3G enabled devices, and given the fact that most will connect to the Internet at some point, having a remote client for the likes of Mac OS and Windows would be a great feature to ensure your data is removed from a stolen device.  I guess it is a lot more complex and enabling elements such as lock down probably a lot harder.  But for me, with those type of devices it is equally (if not more) important to have this type of functionality.  I plan to see what is available in this regard and if I find anything will post it here, but in the meantime if anyone knows of anything please let me know (details below or via comments).

I didn’t (and don’t) intend this to be a promotion of Wave Secure! But in all honesty it was pretty much the only product I could find that came anywhere close to adding the functionality I was looking for. And it exceeded my expectations both in terms of functionality and price.  My main aim in writing this is to raise the question of security for mobile devices and show how easy it can be to plug the gaps.  I seriously recommend you take a look at what options you have on your device as to do the same is probably easier and cheaper than you think.

Posted by Sheldon Witney (@SheldonW on Twitter and co-host of TDL Mobile a weekly podcast from TheDigitalLifestyle.com about all things mobile).