Deutsche Telekom has set up a dedicated security unit to respond to growing and “underestimated” threats within smartphones.
It described cyber security as a “megatrend” that will continue into next year and beyond, with attacks on connected devices and processes predicted to increase in intensity.
It identified three key trends affecting the mobile industry. The first was threats to smartphones remain underplayed. Deutsche Telekom said threats such as Stagefright – which affected Android earlier this year – would continue to target weaknesses within mobile operating systems. The operator said antivirus solutions will become more important to fight these threats.
The second trend is using big data to identify threats within a system more quickly. The operator said analysis tools are being used from the individual consumer up to large corporates.
The final trend is the increasing use of honeypot systems to attract and target attackers. These traps use fake vulnerabilities and datasets to encourage attackers.
[Read more – Deutsche Telekom, Intel open digital honey-pots in cyber security push]
The new division will be headed by Ferri Abolhassan, Managing Director of the IT Division at T-Systems. He said: “Deutsche Telekom has extensive expertise in cyber security and years of experience in product development and partnering. We are consolidating these skills with the aim of capturing a large share of this growing market. In future, we will give consumers, SMEs and corporate customers equal access to effective security solutions, from infrastructure to personal devices.”
The division will eventually incorporate the security arms of Deutsche Telekom’s various group businesses.