When you think of malware and viruses, you probably picture desktop and laptop computers. But since smart phones have become common devices used by everyone, malware and viruses have begun infecting them as well.

This could be a problem for your business, due to the Internet of Things and how it operates. Any device that connects to your network becomes a potential entry point for malware and viruses. So even if a hacker targets your phone elsewhere, once you arrive at work and connect to the wifi, you could put your entire network at risk. And of course, the same goes for employee devices.

Even worse, you probably use your phone to work remotely at times. If you access important work files on the cloud, data could be breached and/or lost.

So, how do you know a phone is infected? The following signs might tip you off:

  • Unusual charges to your cell phone plan
  • A data usage scan shows excessive activity
  • Your apps continually crash or don’t function as expected
  • An abnormal number of pop-up ads or notifications
  • You’re receiving a lot of spam texts
  • You’ve discovered apps on your phone that you don’t remember downloading
  • Your battery is draining faster than expected
  • Your phone seems to be overheating (due to the overuse of RAM)

If you suspect a virus or malware has infected your phone, run a virus scan immediately. Don’t connect it to your business wifi until you’re certain that the device is “clean”.

Also remember that connecting to public wifi is always a risk. That is especially true if you use the public connection to perform work-related activities on your device.

And finally, installing two separate networks could be a potential solution. Use one network strictly for business activities, with a limited number of approved devices connected to it. Employees and visitors can use the other network.

Talk to your employees about the risk cell phones pose to your entire network, and make sure that they understand the signs of a problem on their phones. And for more help with securing your business network, call us at 888-RING-MY-TECH.