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Mobile Security to Protect Research
& Private Data | Pharmaceuticals

Pharma Teams Need Mobile Security

The pharmaceutical industry has generally excelled at physical security, as locking down access to secure research labs, clinical trials and manufacturing / formulation operations are critical to reduced risk and positive results.

Mobile device access to company data, and mobile apps to serve customers, give pharma teams more agility and responsiveness to meet the needs of doctors and patients. Therefore, drug companies must now focus on mobile security to prevent the theft or malicious use of sensitive patient data, drug development R&D, high value IP, operations and legal information. Mobile devices have become the prime threat surface for cybercriminals and industrial espionage.

A strong mobile threat defense posture is a requirement for survival against cyberattacks and the severe losses and damages they can cause any pharmaceutical business.

“We replaced a competitive solution with Zimperium because it was more enterprise ready and provided the best protection for our intellectual property and other confidential information. We were especially impressed by Zimperium’s on-device, proactive threat detection, its 360 degree coverage of all major risks and compliance issues and for the solution’s administrative advantages like support for multiple MDMs in a single tenant.”

– Head of Information Security, Multinational Pharmaceutical Company

“Several signs continue to indicate that mobile security issues are growing in both volume and importance:

  • Nearly one out of five business and industry apps leaks personally identifiable information (PII).
  • Every year, 42 million mobile malware attacks take place.
  • 63% of grayware apps leak the device’s phone number.

Furthermore, enterprises believe mobile malware attacks occur more often than is reported. In a recent Gartner survey, 60% of respondents stated they believe mobile malware incidences are underreported. To the same question for desktop malware incidences, respondents stated they believe only 16% are underreported.”

Market Guide for Mobile Threat Defense. Analyst(s): Dionisio Zumerle | John Girard, 30 October 2018

Zimperium Secures Connected Apps for Leading Medical Device Manufacturer

For this leading medical device manufacturer, when a mobile app is compromised the consequences can be dire: life can be lost, FDA approval can be withdrawn making it impossible for the product to be sold, or proprietary IP can be stolen. Thanks to Zimperium’s zKeyBox and zShield, their mobile applications are more resilient to inspection, tampering, and IP theft.

Download Case Study

Pharmaceutical Employees Devices at Risk

The proprietary intellectual property, patient data and legal documents flowing through a pharma company have very high potential value for cybercriminals and industrial spies. Trade secrets in this arena can impact multi-million dollar revenue streams.

Researchers, executives and business reps of pharma companies are increasingly relying on mobile devices for both work and personal use, and employees may be accessing company data outside the office to stay productive. Even if corporate IT tries to lock down device usage, security in a world of connected smartphones, tablets and IoT devices, in labs and in the field, cannot be entirely assured by conventional methods.

Protecting employee devices

Employees who are using company-issued devices, or their own devices in a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) scenario, may not keep their devices updated or be aware of high- risk behaviors such as attaching to unknown Wi-Fi networks, downloading malware by clicking on an unknown link or site, or something as simple as letting a child download apps or play on the phone while traveling.

Mobile devices have some security features built-in, but new “DNA attack” vulnerabilities are discovered every day, and new Android, iOS and Chromebook updates are constantly posted. There are also privacy policies and regulations on security management and legal documentation on how much control a corporation can have over an employee’s device and the data on it.

Rogue networks and spy devices

Securing the company’s corporate and laboratory networks may not be enough to prevent new forms of network attacks. Hackers can set up a fake “Free Wi-Fi” access point to lure employees and visitors to connect, then act as a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) to capture private data, compromise devices or take control of devices to operate them remotely.

Apps need security too

Pharma companies are starting to find promising results by using mobile apps to better serve patients and physicians. These apps can offer prescriptive advice, medication reminders and other health management tools, as well as facilitating real-time interaction and feedback in clinical trials.

Zimperium Protects Pharmaceutical Companies

Pharma companies can deploy Zimperium Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) – formerly known as zIPS – to detect and resolve advanced cyberattacks at all of the exposed mobile touchpoints in the enterprise. With very little effort, security and development teams gain on-device and in-app protection from cyberattacks, with real-time visibility into the mobile threat landscape that may impact their R&D and field operations.

Pharmaceutical InfoSec or administrative teams can pre-install Zimperium MTD on corporate-issued user devices, and BYOD employees or authorized users can simply download and install the app from trusted stores (Apple App Store or Google Play). This approach to threat detection keeps employee and patient data secure on the device and legally compliant, without impacting performance.

Pharma or partner companies can embed cybersecurity directly into the apps you deliver for customers and employees with Zimperium’s  zDefend  (In-App Protection) solution. This innovative SDK allows developers to immunize mobile apps with world-class security in minutes to help prevent data breaches and mobile fraud.