Verizon argued businesses must prioritise mobile and IoT device security after recording a return to growth in the number of attacks in the year to April, which it attributed to companies struggling to adapt to changing working patterns.

In the 2022 edition of its Mobile Security Index, Verizon found 45 per cent of the 632 security strategy, policy and management professionals surveyed reported a compromise over a mobile or IoT device in the 12 month period, compared with around 25 per cent in 2021.

Verizon attributed the rise to the continued popularity of hybrid and remote working patterns, though noted the 2021 figure was an anomaly as the proportion of companies hit by a mobile compromise dropped, bucking a trend of a CAGR of 14 per cent between its 2018 and 2022 reports.

In the recent survey, 79 per cent of respondents agreed changes to working practices adversely impacted their organisations’ cybersecurity.

A majority (85 per cent) stated there was no corporate policy involving use of home Wi-Fi, and mobile networks and hotspots, while 68 per cent reported staff were allowed to tap public Wi-Fi.

Just more than half (52 per cent) admitted previously sacrificing the security of mobile and IoT devices to hit a deadline or productivity goals.

“Companies need to dedicate time and budget on their security architecture, especially when it comes to off-premise devices”, Verizon Business CEO Sampath Sowmyanarayan stated.

“For businesses, regardless of industry, size, or location on a map, downtime is money lost. Compromised data is trust lost, and those moments, although not insurmountable, are tough to rebound from.”