INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology

Lookout data reveals mobile phishing and device vulnerability risk within US government agencies has increased since 2021 . According to a Lookout analysis of data specific to federal , state and local government entities from the Lookout Security Graph , almost 50 % of phishing attacks aimed at government personnel in 2021 sought to steal credentials , up from 30 % in 2020 .

Government organizations store and transmit a variety of sensitive data , the security of which is essential to the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of people . In the case of government organizations , the potential fallout from a breach that results in leaked data , stolen credentials or a forced halt to operations due to ransomware can have a disproportionate impact compared to a typical cybersecurity incident .

Additionally , government employees use iOS , Android and ChromeOS devices every day to harvesting and malware delivery attacks through phishing . Due to the personal nature of smartphones , tablets and Chromebooks , endpoint security must protect the user , the device and the organization while respecting user privacy .

“ It ’ s more important than ever for government agencies to keep pace with the evolution of the cyberthreat environment ,'' said Tony D ’ Angelo , Vice President , Americas Public Sector , Lookout . “ Regardless of whether devices

In addition to the increase in phishing attacks for government employees , the report findings include :

• Federal , state and local governments increased their reliance on unmanaged mobile devices at a rate of 55 % from 2020 to 2021 , indicating a move toward BYOD to support a larger remote workforce .

• One in eight government employees were exposed to phishing threats . With more than two million federal government employees alone , this represents a significant potential attack surface as it only takes one successful phishing attempt to compromise an entire agency .

• There was a steady rise in mobile phishing encounter rates for state and local governments across both managed and unmanaged devices , increasing at rates of 48 % and 25 % respectively from 2020 to 2021 . This steady climb continued through the first half of 2022 .

• Nearly 50 % of state and local government Android users are running outdated operating systems , exposing them to hundreds of device vulnerabilities . This is an improvement versus 99 % in 2020 . stay productive and increase efficiency . This makes them targets for cyberattackers as their devices are a treasure trove of data and a gateway to government infrastructure .

Only a modern endpoint protection solution can detect mobile threats in apps , device operating systems and network connections , while also protecting against credential are managed , protecting these modern endpoints requires a different approach – one that is built from the ground up for mobile . Only a modern endpoint protection solution can detect mobile threats in apps , device operating systems and network connections while also protecting against phishing attacks that steal credentials and deliver malware .” p

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