Device identification technology uses serial number information in smartphones to provide a watermark for the device. According to
Ecommerce Times, this allows IT to disable and erase sensitive data remotely.
The article also suggests that because user identity can be stolen or shared from a smartphone,
the device should be treated as an uncontrolled endpoint for better network
management and security.
“The issue is that consumer smartphone platforms are inherently insecure, as mobile network endpoint devices are exposed to the threats of the Web. Whether corporate-issued or personally owned, smartphones easily move in and out of the network, traversing internal and external firewalls. It is harder for IT to control what users do with their smartphone devices — and consequently, to keep them from exposing business data to security threats.
A smartphone that can access the network via a wireless access point represents the same kind of threat as any other endpoint. The only difference is that a phone is less likely to be running the very latest (if any!) anti-malware security software.”
