printer friendly version

Malicious file protection for mobile devices

Check Point Software Technologies has announced the availability of cyber protection against mobile-related threats with a new version of Harmony Mobile. Harmony Mobile prevents the download of malicious files to mobile devices. The release further extends Harmony Mobile with additional security capabilities including operating system vulnerability assessment, advanced mitigation capabilities on Samsung devices, easy-to-manage HTTPS inspection and more, to provide a complete mobile security solution.

With the global shift to remote and hybrid working, employees are increasingly using mobile devices to perform critical business tasks or to access and share sensitive company information. This has made employees’ mobile devices a significant entry point for cybercriminals. According to Check Point Research (CPR), almost all organisations (97%) have faced mobile threats from all vectors over the last two years, with one of the most overlooked vectors being file downloads. As an example, CPR found a critical vulnerability in the Instagram app that would have given an attacker the ability to take over a victim’s account and turn their phone into a spying tool, simply by sending them a malicious image file.

Harmony Mobile’s new File Protection works by using Check Point’s Threat Cloud to scan downloaded files for malicious intent. In the case that such an intent is found, the download is completely blocked and the malicious file never reaches the device. On Android handsets, Harmony Mobile can also scan files in the mobile device’s on-board storage, and will alert both the user and administrator if any malicious file is found. The user will be advised to delete the file and the administrator can choose to restrict the device’s access to corporate resources.

As part of Check Point’s drive to enhance mobile security, the new Harmony Mobile Release 4.0 also includes integration with Samsung Knox for mitigation capabilities, OS CVE assessment to allow administrators to understand and remediate vulnerabilities in the organisation’s mobile fleet, automated certificate deployments for simplified management, and more.

Rafi Kretchmer, VP of product marketing at Check Point Software Technologies, commented: “Most mobile security solutions that are on the market today can only scan files that are related to the mobile operating system, such as apps and iOS profiles. This does not protect your mobile from other malicious file types such as executables, MS Office files, PDFs and more. As we are becoming more reliant on mobiles, cybercriminals are increasingly targeting them, and so it has never been more important to have a robust mobile security solution that protects you from any type of file.”

Find out more about Harmony Mobile Release 4.0 on the Check Point blog

Share this article:

Further reading: