Despite the sentiments of others in the industry, one security expert is urging the her contemporaries to move more quickly to get mobile security in line with that of desktop and laptop PCs.
In a recent interview with the Information Security Media Group, Patricia Titus, vice president and chief information officer at Unisys, acknowledged that modern day web browsing is increasingly becoming mobile. However, she added that she hasn't seen Internet security efforts adjust accordingly.
"Internet security is now coming down to these tiny little handhelds that a lot of people don't realize don't have anywhere near the same security level that you would have on a laptop with a security package," Titus told the Information Security Media Group. "I think the vendors are starting to address that but it's been a little bit of a slow role to be honest."
Titus foresees improvements to come soon, as recent data breaches put more pressure on vendors, organizations and consumers to protect against security threats. Citing breaches at Sony, Epsilon and RSA, Titus said the response will bring about security developments that should have occurred years earlier. This reactive trend in the industry, according to Titus, is slightly disappointing.
"Unfortunately a lot of people read about things happening and don't think it's going to happen to them," Titus said. "What is the fallout from the Epsilon and Sony breach and are people going to hold their breath and wait and see what happens or are they going to proactively go and take actions? And are the institutions actually going to help people understand what protections they could put in place for themselves?"
Others in the security sector are more optimistic. In a statement following Javelin Strategy and Research's latest report on mobile web browsing and security, the firm's managing director of security, risk and fraud said he has seen an uptick in security concerns following these high-profile incidents.
