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Mobile Devices Can Provide Lucrative Back Door Into Businesses for Cyber Thieves

By Tim Dinsmore
October 01, 2021

How many people in the U.S. own a smartphone? Well, according to Statista the smartphone penetration rate in the U.S. has increased each year, reaching an overall figure of 85% percent for 2021. It may not be an accurate figure, but one thing's for sure: Smartphone ownership in the U.S. is almost a given, which means there are many millions of devices being used day in, day out.

Smartphones are readily enabled to access the Internet and most owners do precisely that. In fact, due to COVID and the impact on working conditions seeing many of us working in a remote/hybrid fashion, people have increasingly been using smart devices to access the Internet in response to working from home or on the hoof. So what, you might say? What often gets overlooked as the mobile phones from 10 years ago have morphed into compact, yet powerful computers, is that these modern smart devices are extremely powerful surveillance units that can store all manner of tracking information too. Throw into the mix advanced camera and microphone technology and you begin to understand the potential for disaster.

We live with the reality that the once ordinary communication tool is now a potent device that needs to be used responsibly on the basis that there is a cybercriminal fraternity hell-bent on accessing said devices for ill-gotten gain. Such devices are certainly not spared from the ravages of cyberattacks. And don't think that hackers are only interested in big business targets — they know full well that you and I can potentially provide a lucrative backdoor into such businesses via our personal or business device.

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