McAfee Mobile Security Offering Protects Personal Data

Intel subsidiary and security specialist McAfee announced an updated version of its Mobile Security offering with enhanced privacy features including the Multi-user App Profile function, which allows consumers to create multiple user profiles, or “safe zones,” on one device with customized or restricted access to apps.The platform, available in a basic or premium version, is also available as part of McAfee All Access and McAfee LiveSafe, which provide protection across PCs, Macs, tablets and mobile devices. A free, two-week trial of Mobile Security with all premium features enabled is available on Google Play.After the trial expires, users can choose to use Mobile Security basic without the premium features at no cost, or purchase the premium version of the app for $2.99 for a monthly subscription or $29.99 for a 12-month subscription.The platform protects users’ privacy as it allows them to back up, wipe and restore contacts remotely through a user-friendly Web portal, as well as locate a lost or stolen device on a map, and remotely sound an alarm.”When consumers contemplate securing their smartphones and tablets, they often think in terms of their susceptibility to mobile malware, overlooking the very real threat to their privacy should their devices become lost or stolen,” Ari Jaaksi, senior vice president and general manager, mobile engineering and operations at McAfee, said in a statement. “With McAfee Mobile Security basic, we’re helping consumers protect their privacy at a baseline level at no cost, which we hope will help encourage users to take a more proactive role in securing their mobile devices and employ secure computing practices and protections.”In the Mobile Security: McAfee Consumer Trends Report for June 2013, the company found that more than one-quarter of mobile apps likely support more than just adware and may be collecting and handing over precise GPS location, account and activity information to criminals. Supported by the company’s Global Threat Intelligence infrastructure, the premium version of Mobile Security includes app privacy features including app privacy reporting and call and SMS filtering.The majority of businesses (79 percent, to be exact) had a mobile security incident in the past year, and the costs are substantial, according to security specialist Check Point Software Technologies’ second mobile security report, which was released in June.Despite costly mobile incidents, 63 percent of businesses do not manage corporate information on personal devices, and 93 percent face challenges adopting BYOD policies. More than half (53 percent) of all businesses surveyed report there is sensitive customer information on mobile devices, up from 47 percent last year.Participants reported that the most common challenge IT organizations face in adopting BYOD is securing corporate information (67 percent), closely followed by tracking and controlling access to networks (63 percent).