ICSA Labs Launches Program To Test Mobile Device VPN Security Features

To help enterprise users of smartphones and tablets send and receive data securely, ICSA Labs is offering the industry’s first testing program for determining whether these devices meet the latest security standards for connecting with VPNs (virtual private networks). VPNs enable employees working off-site to securely browse websites and use enterprise-provided applications such as email.

The new program, Mobile Device VPN Security, is available immediately for wireless carriers and mobile device manufacturers. Verizon Wireless is the program’s first customer.

“As tablets and smart phones continue to empower enterprises and their employees with a borderless work style, the testing of mobile devices’ VPN functionality is increasingly important to verify that confidential company information is adequately protected,” said Jack Walsh, Mobile Security and Special Projects Program Manager, ICSA Labs. “Our security-testing program provides peace of mind to the carriers whose networks link to millions of smart devices, and to the enterprise users of those devices.”

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According to the “Verizon 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report,” mobile threats are on the rise, as enterprises now have many more smartphones and tablets than servers. These mobile devices are often widely distributed, highly mobile, less restricted and controlled by end users. As a result, mobile devices frequently factor into enterprise data breaches and contribute greatly to overall data loss.

ICSA Labs’ Mobile Device VPN Security testing program verifies that mobile phones and tablets meet current security standards. This includes testing the devices’ implementation of Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2), which improves upon the security of IKEv1 and offers enhanced protection against denial-of-service attacks.

ICSA Labs has been testing VPN security for more than 15 years and has extensive experience evaluating VPN clients and servers against all relevant network security standards.