CIOs plagued by mobile security threats

Chief information officers are increasingly worried about the risks related to mobile devices and remote working, according to a recent survey by CompTIA.

More than half of respondents to the survey, which questioned 2,024 security professionals, said that threats posed by mobile technology had increased significantly in the past year.

The survey canvassed the opinions of "individuals responsible for information security enforcement in their organisations" in the UK, China, Canada and the US.

Principle threats included user operating error, unauthorised use or misuse of mobile devices, phishing attacks and loss or theft of devices and data.

"As global trends in workforce mobility and decentralisation place a greater strain on IT security infrastructures, safeguarding information is becoming increasingly complex," said Laurel Chivari, vice president of marketing and communications at CompTIA.

The research highlighted a lack of training given to staff working from home or off campus. Just 39 per cent of respondents indicated that they had offered employees training to guard against security threats when working remotely.

Separate CompTIA research suggests that effective training for mobile workers offers the best line of defence. Some 92 per cent of respondents had noted a reduction in breaches aftere training staff.