One Cellphone to Use for Work and Personal But Keeps Data, Apps Separate

The company smartphone, the private cellphone, keys for house and car, wallet – the objects we carry around with us every day are becoming more numerous all the time. Which is why many people also use their business smartphone for personal purposes. It may be convenient, but employees and the IT department have different interests: most employees would prefer unlimited use of their smartphones, installing and using whatever programs they like. But this can also open the door to hackers in search of ways of attacking. As a result, IT departments often try to limit the use of smartphones accordingly. Security experts at the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT and at the Center for Advanced Security Research Darmstadt CASED have now developed a security solution for Android-based smartphones: "BizzTrust for Android". The solution separates private and business applications on the phone itself.

BizzTrust smartphones offer two protected areas for data and apps. They can identify whether content belongs to a business or a private application, store it separately in the appropriate partition and control access to the data during operation. This enhances the security of business data while still allowing employees to install as many private apps as they wish. Even if attackers manage to infiltrate an unsecured app, they cannot use it to access company data, and the impact of the attack is confined to the private data on the smartphone. "Our development significantly improves the security of today‘s mobile terminals at no cost to user-friendliness," notes Prof. Dr. Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi, director of Cyber-Physical Systems Security at the SIT/CASED.

A color symbol shown in the display let the user know at all times whether he or she is in the business or "red" area or in the personal, „green" area of the smartphone. Two "clicks" of the touchscreen is all it takes to toggle over to the respective other side.

To implement these two virtual smartphones in a single device, the experts modified the Android operating system so that all data from trustworthy applications is marked as such. The company itself decides which applications are released for business use, and who has access to what areas of company IT. Because these rules may change over time, the business applications are updated or deleted as needed as soon as the user links to the company network. There is another benefit as well: companies can provide their own apps to employees and keep them updated on a regular basis. Security is guaranteed at all times as well: the telephone‘s software is checked before the telephone can log onto the company’s network via a secure VPN link. If a modification is detected critical applications can be blocked.

Researchers will present the BizzTrust for Android at the it-sa trade fair. The next step for this technology is to equip smartphones with integrated smartcards that provide additional security functions. To supplement BizzTrust, researchers at SIT are now teaming up with partner companies to develop tools to permit IT administrators to manage smartphones on an everyday basis – the technology would establish a secure link with the mobile device for wirelessly synchronization and backup of the data stored there – or data deletion if the device is lost or stolen.

Featured

  • 12 Commercial Crime Sites to Do Your Research

    12 Commercial Crime Sites to Do Your Research

    Understanding crime statistics in your industry and area is crucial for making important decisions about your security budget. With so much information out there, how can you know which statistics to trust? Read Now

  • Boosting Safety and Efficiency

    Boosting Safety and Efficiency

    In alignment with the state of Mississippi’s mission of “Empowering Mississippi citizens to stay connected and engaged with their government,” Salient's CompleteView VMS is being installed throughout more than 150 state boards, commissions and agencies in order to ensure safety for thousands of constituents who access state services daily. Read Now

  • Live From GSX: Post-Show Review

    Live From GSX: Post-Show Review

    This year’s Live From GSX program was a rousing success! Again, we’d like to thank our partners, and IPVideo, for working with us and letting us broadcast their solutions to the industry. You can follow our Live From GSX 2023 page to keep up with post-show developments and announcements. And if you’re interested in working with us in 2024, please don’t hesitate to ask about our Live From programs for ISC West in March or next year’s GSX. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • People Say the Funniest Things

    People Say the Funniest Things

    By all accounts, GSX version 2023 was completely successful. Apparently, there were plenty of mix-ups with the airlines and getting aircraft from the East Coast into Big D. I am all ears when I am in a gathering of people. You never know when a nugget of information might flip out. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure. 3

  • XS4 Original+

    XS4 Original+

    The SALTO XS4 Original+ design is based on the same proven housing and mechanical mechanisms of the XS4 Original. The XS4 Original+, however, is embedded with SALTO’s BLUEnet real-time functionality and SVN-Flex capability that enables SALTO stand-alone smart XS4 Original+ locks to update user credentials directly at the door. Compatible with the array of SALTO platform solutions including SALTO Space data-on-card, SALTO KS Keys as a Service cloud-based access solution, and SALTO’s JustIn Mobile technology for digital keys. The XS4 Original+ also includes RFID Mifare DESFire, Bluetooth LE and NFC technology functionality. 3

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols. 3