Check Point Software Introduces Malicious File Protection for Mobile Devices

Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a leading provider of cyber security solutions globally, announces the availability of the most complete cyber protection against mobile-related threats with a new version of Harmony Mobile that prevents the download of malicious files. Harmony Mobile is the first mobile threat solution among the industry’s top leading vendors to prevent 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 the most 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 employee mobiles a significant entry point for cybercriminals. According to Check Point Research (CPR), almost all organizations (97%) have faced mobile threats from all vectors over the last two years with one of the most overlooked vectors being file download. In fact, 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 leveraging 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’s on-device storage and will alert both user and admin if any malicious file is found. The user will be advised to delete the file and the admin 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 unique mitigation capabilities, OS CVE Assessment to allow admins to understand and remediate vulnerabilities in the organization’s mobile fleet, automated certificate deployments for simplified management, and more.

Manish Alshi, Head of Channels and Growth Technologies, India & SAARC 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.