Network Computing is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Sprint Only Carrier On Mobile Security Council

Wireless carrier Sprint Nextel is so far the only carrier serving on a new industry panel called the Mobile Security Council, which seeks to collaborate to protect against mobile network threats and respond to attacks when they occur. The council met for only the second time last week during the Sprint Open Solutions Conference in Santa Clara, Calif.

The Mobile Security Council is responding to a growing trend where security threats on traditional networks connecting PCs, servers and laptops are migrating to mobile networks because mobile is where the market is growing, says Mark Yarkosky, director of product development for Sprint. Yarkosky pointed to a threat assessment report for the second quarter of 2011 from anti-virus vendor McAfee that cited a 76% growth in the amount of malware targeting mobile devices using the Google Android operating system, from just the first quarter.

"The rapid rise in Android malware in Q2 indicates that the platform could become an increasing target for cybercriminals," McAfee stated in an Aug. 23 news release. In line with that threat, Sprint is stepping up efforts to secure Android-powered devices along with those running Microsoft, RIM and Apple iOS mobile operating systems, said Yarkosky. Sprint last month became the third major U.S. carrier to start selling the popular Apple iPhone.

As iPhones, Androids and other brands of smartphones become connected to corporate networks, carriers work with OS providers and manufacturers to secure the extension of enterprise networks to mobile devices, he said, whether they are devices provided to employees by their employer or employees’ personal devices that they now use for work. Network administrators seek both to manage corporate network access from mobile devices and provide an extra layer of security. "In the enterprise space [security] it’s a little bit of a perplexing problem for IT managers. How do ... they extend their security policies that they have from a corporate perspective down to the device?" Yarkosky said.

One way Sprint does that is by offering support for a few of the many specification requirements for Microsoft Active Sync, the mobile client that allows remote workers to access from their smartphones their Exchange email server on their corporate network, he said. Sprint also delivers remote lock and wipe, a feature that locks a smartphone if it’s lost or stolen so that if the phone falls into the wrong hands, it can’t be opened. The feature also remotely wipes corporate data from the device.

  • 1