Lookout & DHS | Best Mobile Security for Govt. Agencies

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Mobile security is not an option for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); it's a funded priority.  

Recognizing that a compromise of data through mobile devices is an immediate risk, the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is financing a new research-and-development program to create a mobile endpoint security solution that enables the federal government to accomplish its mission.  

Today, DHS S&T announced it is partnering with Lookout to enhance the powerful Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security solution for government agencies.  

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Building the best security for the government's needs

DHS understands that without the proper mobile security, agencies cannot maintain a technologically competitive advantage or protect themselves from data compromise.

Through this partnership, Lookout will work directly with DHS to understand the mobile security needs of government agencies. It will then develop new product features as well as enhance existing ones to address those needs. Some of the initiatives in this partnership include enhancing the following features:  

• Risky App Visibility
• Side Load Detection
• Man-in-the-Middle Attack Detection
• Mobile Vulnerability Management
• Certificate Authority Reputation  

Furthermore, the DHS also is purchasing 2,500 Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security licenses. It will distribute these to agencies to gather their early inputs for developing a mobile security solution that addresses the government's immediate needs or who want to test mobile endpoint security in their enterprise environment.  

This is an important step agencies can take while exploring their own risk of data compromise via mobile devices or awaiting budget funding to deploy a mobile security solution.  

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Why the DHS is focusing on mobile security now  

The federal government has a large number of employees traveling abroad each year. These employees, as representatives of the U.S., are high-value targets for malicious actors. While traveling, employees connect to networks that the federal government neither owns nor controls, potentially exposing government data. The DHS is aware that simply managing a mobile device is not enough. The device also must have mobile endpoint security that alerts IT and security personnel on home soil to potential attacks.  

DHS S&T specifically monitors threats and embraces security enhancements to enable government employees to accomplish their missions. The DHS previously has been vocal about the need for mobile security within the federal government, producing an entire report titled "A Study on Mobile Security." In it, the DHS advises: "The stakes for government users are high. Government mobile devices-despite being a minor share of the overall market-represent an avenue to attack backend systems containing data on millions of Americans in addition to sensitive information relevant to government functions."  

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The right solution protects agencies from data compromise through mobile devices  

Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security protects government agencies from the full Spectrum of Mobile Risk and is unique in its ability to deliver protection from all mobile threats and risks in a single unified solution. Lookout also has amassed the world's largest mobile security dataset-a global network of more 100 million devices. The size of this dataset is critical because it enables Lookout analysis engines to identify complex patterns that indicate risk and protect agencies from novel or previously unseen threats to government data.  

As mobile devices continue to become a core productivity tool for government employees, agencies will be held accountable for the sensitive data flowing through them. Partnerships like the one between DHS S&T and Lookout position federal agencies to implement protections tailored to their needs, keeping sensitive government data secure.  

Agencies interested in receiving Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security licenses from the DHS should contact Vincent Sritapan at sandt-cyber-liaison@hq.dhs.gov.

Interested in learning more about how Lookout can protect your agency? Contact us today.

Interested in learning more about DHS's new mobile security partnerships? See the department's press release here.