NIST Special Publication 800-124

Revision 1

Guidelines for Managing the 

Security of Mobile Devices in the 

Enterprise

Murugiah Souppaya

Karen Scarfone 

This version supersedes http://www.nist.gov/customcf/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=890048

C O M P U T E R S E C U R I T Y
NIST Special Publication 800-124

Revision 1

Guidelines for Managing the 

Security of Mobile Devices in the 

Enterprise

Murugiah Souppaya 

Computer Security Division 

Information Technology Laboratory 

Karen Scarfone 

Scarfone Cybersecurity 

This version supersedes http://www.nist.gov/customcf/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=890048

June 2013

U.S. Department of Commerce 

Cameron F. Kerry, Acting Secretary

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Patrick D. Gallagher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director 
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

ii

Authority

This publication has been developed by NIST to further its statutory responsibilities under the 

Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Public Law (P.L.) 107-347. NIST is 

responsible for developing information security standards and guidelines, including minimum 

requirements for Federal information systems, but such standards and guidelines shall not apply 

to national security systems without the express approval of appropriate Federal officials 

exercising policy authority over such systems. This guideline is consistent with the requirements 

of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Section 8b(3), Securing Agency

Information Systems, as analyzed in Circular A-130, Appendix IV: Analysis of Key Sections. 

Supplemental information is provided in Circular A-130, Appendix III, Security of Federal 

Automated Information Resources.

Nothing in this publication should be taken to contradict the standards and guidelines made 

mandatory and binding on Federal agencies by the Secretary of Commerce under statutory 

authority. Nor should these guidelines be interpreted as altering or superseding the existing 

authorities of the Secretary of Commerce, Director of the OMB, or any other Federal official. 

This publication may be used by nongovernmental organizations on a voluntary basis and is not 

subject to copyright in the United States. Attribution would, however, be appreciated by NIST. 

National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-124 Revision 1

Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Spec. Publ. 800-124 Rev. 1, 29 pages (June 2013)

This version supersedes http://www.nist.gov/customcf/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=890048

CODEN: NSPUE2

 

 

Comments on this publication may be submitted to:

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Attn: Computer Security Division, Information Technology Laboratory

100 Bureau Drive (Mail Stop 8930) Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930

Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to 

describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply 

recommendation or endorsement by NIST, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or 

equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose. 

There may be references in this publication to other publications currently under development by NIST 

in accordance with its assigned statutory responsibilities. The information in this publication, including 

concepts and methodologies, may be used by Federal agencies even before the completion of such 

companion publications. Thus, until each publication is completed, current requirements, guidelines, 

and procedures, where they exist, remain operative. For planning and transition purposes, Federal 

agencies may wish to closely follow the development of these new publications by NIST. 

Organizations are encouraged to review all draft publications during public comment periods and 

provide feedback to NIST. All NIST Computer Security Division publications, other than the ones 

noted above, are available at http://csrc.nist.gov/publications.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

iii

Reports on Computer Systems Technology

The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical 

leadership for the Nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test 

methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analyses to advance the 

development and productive use of information technology. ITL’s responsibilities include the 

development of management, administrative, technical, and physical standards and guidelines for 

the cost-effective security and privacy of other than national security-related information in 

Federal information systems. The Special Publication 800-series reports on ITL’s research, 

guidelines, and outreach efforts in information system security, and its collaborative activities 

with industry, government, and academic organizations.

Abstract

Mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, typically need to support multiple security 

objectives: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. To achieve these objectives, mobile devices 

should be secured against a variety of threats. The purpose of this publication is to help 

organizations centrally manage the security of mobile devices. Laptops are out of the scope of 

this publication, as are mobile devices with minimal computing capability, such as basic cell 

phones. This publication provides recommendations for selecting, implementing, and using 

centralized management technologies, and it explains the security concerns inherent in mobile 

device use and provides recommendations for securing mobile devices throughout their life 

cycles. The scope of this publication includes securing both organization-provided and 

personally-owned (bring your own device, BYOD) mobile devices.

Keywords

cell phone security; information security; mobile device security; mobility; remote access; 

smartphone security; tablet security; telework
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

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Acknowledgments

The authors, Murugiah Souppaya of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

and Karen Scarfone of Scarfone Cybersecurity, wish to thank their colleagues who reviewed 

drafts of this document and contributed to its technical content, including Tom Karygiannis,

Arnold Johnson, Joshua Franklin, and Adam Sedgewick of NIST. The authors especially 

appreciate the contributions of Wayne Jansen, who co-authored the original version of this 

publication. The authors also thank all the individuals and organizations that provided comments 

on the publication, including Mike Grimm (Microsoft), Blair Heiserman (NIST), Peter Kierpiec, 

Accenture, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Information Systems Agency 

(DISA), the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the 

Department of Justice (ISIMC), LMI, Motorola Solutions, the National Security Agency (NSA), 

Research in Motion (RIM) Corporation, and the Wireless Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative 

(FSSI) Core Team.

Section 4 of this publication is based on Section 4 of NIST SP 800-111, Guide to Storage 

Encryption Technologies for End User Devices [SP800-111] by Karen Scarfone, Murugiah 

Souppaya, and Matt Sexton.

Trademarks

All registered trademarks or trademarks belong to their respective organizations.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ vi

1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Purpose and Scope .................................................................................................. 1

1.2 Audience .................................................................................................................. 1

1.3 Document Structure.................................................................................................. 1

2. Mobile Device Overview................................................................................................... 2

2.1 Defining Mobile Device Characteristics..................................................................... 2

2.2 High-Level Threats and Vulnerabilities ..................................................................... 3

2.2.1 Lack of Physical Security Controls................................................................. 3

2.2.2 Use of Untrusted Mobile Devices .................................................................. 4

2.2.3 Use of Untrusted Networks............................................................................ 4

2.2.4 Use of Untrusted Applications ....................................................................... 5

2.2.5 Interaction with Other Systems...................................................................... 5

2.2.6 Use of Untrusted Content .............................................................................. 6

2.2.7 Use of Location Services............................................................................... 6

3. Technologies for Mobile Device Management................................................................ 7

3.1 Components and Architectures................................................................................. 7

3.2 Capabilities............................................................................................................... 8

4. Security for the Enterprise Mobile Device Solution Life Cycle ................................... 10

4.1 Initiation.................................................................................................................. 10

4.1.1 Restrictions on Mobile Devices and Access Levels ..................................... 11

4.1.2 Additional User Requirements..................................................................... 12

4.2 Development .......................................................................................................... 12

4.3 Implementation....................................................................................................... 13

4.4 Operations and Maintenance.................................................................................. 14

4.5 Disposal.................................................................................................................. 15

Appendix A— Supporting NIST SP 800-53 Security Controls and Publications................ 16

Appendix B— Acronyms and Abbreviations........................................................................ 20

Appendix C— Resources....................................................................................................... 21
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Executive Summary

Mobile devices typically need to support multiple security objectives: confidentiality, integrity, and 

availability. To achieve these objectives, mobile devices should be secured against a variety of threats. 

General security recommendations for any IT technology are provided in NIST Special Publication (SP)

800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations [SP800-53]. 

Specific recommendations for securing mobile devices are presented in this publication and are intended 

to complement the controls specified in SP 800-53. Also, see Government Accountability Office (GAO) 

report GAO-12-757 [GAO-12-757] for additional information on mobile device security for Federal 

agencies.

This publication provides recommendations for securing particular types of mobile devices, such as smart 

phones and tablets. Laptops are specifically excluded from the scope of this publication because the 

security controls available for laptops today are quite different than those available for smart phones, 

tablets, and other mobile device types. Mobile devices with minimal computing capability, such as the 

most basic cell phones, are also out of scope because of the limited security options available and the 

limited threats they face. 

Centralized mobile device management technologies are increasingly used as a solution for controlling 

the use of both organization-issued and personally-owned mobile devices by enterprise users. In addition 

to managing the configuration and security of mobile devices, these technologies offer other features, 

such as providing secure access to enterprise computing resources. There are two basic approaches to 

centralized mobile device management: use a messaging server’s management capabilities (sometimes 

from the same vendor that makes a particular brand of mobile device operating system), or use a product 

from a third party, which is designed to manage one or more brands of mobile device operating system. It 

is outside the scope of this publication to provide any recommendations for one approach over the other; 

both approaches can provide the necessary centralized management functionality.

Organizations should implement the following guidelines to improve the security of their mobile devices.

Organizations should have a mobile device security policy.

A mobile device security policy should define which types of the organization’s resources may be 

accessed via mobile devices, which types of mobile devices are permitted to access the organization’s 

resources, the degree of access that various classes of mobile devices may have—for example, 

organization-issued devices versus personally-owned (bring your own device) devices—and how 

provisioning should be handled. It should also cover how the organization's centralized mobile device 

management servers are administered, how policies in those servers are updated, and all other 

requirements for mobile device management technologies. The mobile device security policy should be 

documented in the system security plan. To the extent feasible and appropriate, the mobile device security 

policy should be consistent with and complement security policy for non-mobile systems.

Organizations should develop system threat models for mobile devices and the resources that are 

accessed through the mobile devices.

Mobile devices often need additional protection because their nature generally places them at higher 

exposure to threats than other client devices (for example, desktop and laptop devices only used within 

the organization’s facilities and on the organization’s networks). Before designing and deploying mobile 

device solutions, organizations should develop system threat models. Threat modeling helps organizations 

to identify security requirements and to design the mobile device solution to incorporate the controls 

needed to meet the security requirements. Threat modeling involves identifying resources of interest and 
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

vii

the feasible threats, vulnerabilities, and security controls related to these resources, then quantifying the 

likelihood of successful attacks and their impacts, and finally analyzing this information to determine 

where security controls need to be improved or added. 

Organizations deploying mobile devices should consider the merits of each provided security 

service, determine which services are needed for their environment, and then design and acquire 

one or more solutions that collectively provide the necessary services.

Most organizations do not need all of the possible security services provided by mobile device solutions. 

Categories of services to be considered include the following:

 General policy: enforcing enterprise security policies on the mobile device, such as restricting 

access to hardware and software, managing wireless network interfaces, and automatically 

monitoring, detecting, and reporting when policy violations occur.

 Data communication and storage: supporting strongly encrypted data communications and data 

storage, wiping the device before reissuing it, and remotely wiping the device if it is lost or stolen 

and is at risk of having its data recovered by an untrusted party.

 User and device authentication: requiring device authentication and/or other authentication 

before accessing organization resources, resetting forgotten passwords remotely, automatically 

locking idle devices, and remotely locking devices suspected of being left unlocked in an 

unsecured location.

 Applications: restricting which app stores may be used and which applications may be installed, 

restricting the permissions assigned to each application, installing and updating applications, 

restricting the use of synchronization services, verifying digital signatures on applications, and 

distributing the organization’s applications from a dedicated mobile application store.

Organizations should implement and test a pilot of their mobile device solution before putting the 

solution into production.

Aspects of the solution that should be evaluated for each type of mobile device include connectivity, 

protection, authentication, application functionality, solution management, logging, and performance. 

Another important consideration is the security of the mobile device implementation itself; at a minimum, 

all components should be updated with the latest patches and configured following sound security 

practices. Also, use of jailbroken or rooted mobile devices should be automatically detected when 

feasible. Finally, implementers should ensure that the mobile device solution does not unexpectedly “fall 

back” to default settings for interoperability or other reasons.

Organizations should fully secure each organization-issued mobile device before allowing a user to 

access it. 

This ensures a basic level of trust in the device before it is exposed to threats. For any already-deployed 

organization-issued mobile device with an unknown security profile (e.g., unmanaged device), 

organizations should fully secure them to a known good state (for example, through deployment and use 

of enterprise mobile device management technologies). Supplemental security controls should be 

deployed as risk merits, such as antivirus software and data loss prevention (DLP) technologies.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

viii

Organizations should regularly maintain mobile device security.

Helpful operational processes for maintenance include checking for upgrades and patches, and acquiring, 

testing, and deploying them; ensuring that each mobile device infrastructure component has its clock 

synced to a common time source; reconfiguring access control features as needed; and detecting and 

documenting anomalies within the mobile device infrastructure, including unauthorized configuration 

changes to mobile devices. Other helpful maintenance processes are keeping an active inventory of each 

mobile device, its user, and its applications; revoking access to or deleting an application that has already 

been installed but has subsequently been assessed as too risky to use; and scrubbing sensitive data from 

mobile devices before reissuing them to other users.

Also, organizations should periodically perform assessments to confirm that their mobile device policies, 

processes, and procedures are being followed properly. Assessment activities may be passive, such as 

reviewing logs, or active, such as performing vulnerability scans and penetration testing.
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1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this publication is to help organizations centrally manage and secure mobile devices, such 

as smart phones and tablets. (Laptops are out of the scope of this publication, as are mobile devices with 

minimal computing capability, such as the most basic cell phones.) This publication provides

recommendations for selecting, implementing, and using centralized management technologies, and it 

explains the security concerns inherent in mobile device use and provides recommendations for securing 

mobile devices throughout their life cycles.

The scope of this publication includes both organization-provided and personally-owned (bring your own 

device, BYOD) mobile devices. Classified systems, devices, data, applications, etc. are out of the scope of 

this publication.

Evaluating the security of mobile device applications is also outside the scope of this publication.

1.2 Audience

This document is intended for Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Information Security Officers 

(CISOs), and security managers, engineers, administrators, and others who are responsible for planning, 

implementing, and maintaining the security of mobile devices. It assumes that readers have a basic 

understanding of mobile device technologies and enterprise security principles.

1.3 Document Structure

The remainder of this document is organized into the following sections and appendices: 

 Section 2 provides an overview of mobile devices, focused on what makes them different from other 

computing devices, particularly in terms of security risk.

 Section 3 presents an introduction to technologies for centralized mobile device management.

 Section 4 discusses security throughout the mobile device life cycle. Examples of topics addressed in 

this section include mobile device security policy creation, design and implementation considerations, 

and operational processes that are particularly helpful for security.

 Appendix A lists the major controls from NIST Special Publication 800-53, Security and Privacy 

Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations that affect enterprise mobile device 

security.

 Appendix B provides an acronym and abbreviation list. 

 Appendix C lists resources that may be useful for gaining a better understanding of mobile device

security.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

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2. Mobile Device Overview

This section gives an overview of mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets. Laptops are 

specifically excluded from the scope of this publication because the security controls available for laptops 

today are quite different than those available for smart phones, tablets, and other mobile device types.

Mobile devices with minimal computing capability, such as the most basic cell phones, are also out of 

scope because of the limited security options available and the limited threats they face. 

This section discusses the features of mobile devices, focusing on what makes mobile devices different 

from other computing devices, particularly in terms of security risk. This section also presents high-level 

recommendations for mitigating the risks that these mobile devices currently face.

2.1 Defining Mobile Device Characteristics

Mobile device features are constantly changing, so it is difficult to define the term “mobile device”.

However, as features change, so do threats and security controls, so it is important to establish a baseline 

of mobile device features. The following hardware and software characteristics collectively define the 

baseline for the purposes of this publication:

 A small form factor

 At least one wireless network interface for network access (data communications). This interface uses

Wi-Fi, cellular networking, or other technologies that connect the mobile device to network 

infrastructures with connectivity to the Internet or other data networks.

 Local built-in (non-removable) data storage

 An operating system that is not a full-fledged desktop or laptop operating system1

 Applications available through multiple methods (provided with the mobile device, accessed through 

web browser, acquired and installed from third parties)

The list below details other common, but optional, characteristics of mobile devices. These features do 

not define the scope of devices included in the publication, but rather indicate features that are 

particularly important in terms of security risk. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, and is merely 

illustrative of common features of interest as of this writing.

 Network services:

o One or more wireless personal area network interfaces, such as Bluetooth or near-field 

communications

o One or more wireless network interfaces for voice communications, such as cellular

o Global Positioning System (GPS), which enables location services

 One or more digital cameras/video recording devices

 Microphone

 1 Operating systems are being introduced that will work for both smartphones/tablets and desktops/laptops. However, it is 

outside the scope of this publication to make recommendations for these devices. Once it has been determined how they 

should be secured, this publication will be updated accordingly.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

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 Storage:

o Support for removable media

o Support for using the device itself as removable storage for another computing device

 Built-in features for synchronizing local data with a different location (desktop or laptop computer, 

organization servers, telecommunications provider servers, other third party servers, etc.)

2.2 High-Level Threats and Vulnerabilities

Mobile devices typically need to support multiple security objectives. These can be accomplished through 

a combination of security features built into the mobile devices and additional security controls applied to 

the mobile devices and other components of the enterprise IT infrastructure. The most common security 

objectives for mobile devices are as follows:

 Confidentiality—ensure that transmitted and stored data cannot be read by unauthorized parties

 Integrity—detect any intentional or unintentional changes to transmitted and stored data

 Availability—ensure that users can access resources using mobile devices whenever needed.

To achieve these objectives, mobile devices should be secured against a variety of threats. General 

security recommendations for any IT technology are provided in NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-53, 

Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations [SP800-53].

2 Specific 

recommendations for securing mobile devices are presented in this publication and are intended to 

complement the controls specified in SP 800-53. See Appendix A of this document for a summary of SP 

800-53 controls most closely related to mobile device security. Also, see Government Accountability 

Office (GAO) report GAO-12-757 [GAO-12-757] for additional information on mobile device security 

for Federal agencies.

Mobile devices often need additional protection because their nature generally places them at higher 

exposure to threats than other client devices (e.g., desktop and laptop devices only used within the 

organization’s facilities and on the organization’s networks). Before designing and deploying mobile 

device solutions, organizations should develop system threat models for the mobile devices and the 

resources that are accessed through the mobile devices. Threat modeling involves identifying resources of 

interest and the feasible threats, vulnerabilities, and security controls related to these resources, then 

quantifying the likelihood of successful attacks and their impacts, and finally analyzing this information 

to determine where security controls need to be improved or added. Threat modeling helps organizations 

to identify security requirements and to design the mobile device solution to incorporate the controls 

needed to meet the security requirements. Major security concerns for these technologies that would be 

included in most mobile device threat models are listed below.

2.2.1 Lack of Physical Security Controls

Mobile devices are typically used in a variety of locations outside the organization’s control, such as 

employees’ homes, coffee shops, hotels, and conferences. Even mobile devices only used within an 

organization’s facilities are often transported from place to place within the facilities. The devices’ mobile 

nature makes them much more likely to be lost or stolen than other devices, so their data is at increased 

risk of compromise. When planning mobile device security policies and controls, organizations should 

 2 These recommendations are linked to three security categories—low, moderate, and high—based on the potential impact of 

a security breach involving a particular system, as defined in Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 199, 

Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems [FIPS199].
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

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assume that mobile devices will be acquired by malicious parties who will attempt to recover sensitive 

data either directly from the devices themselves or indirectly by using the devices to access the 

organization’s remote resources. 

The mitigation strategy for this is layered. One layer involves requiring authentication before gaining 

access to the mobile device or the organization’s resources accessible through the device. A mobile 

device usually has a single authenticator—not a separate account for each user of the device—as it is 

generally assumed that the device only has one user.3 So there is no username, just a password, which is 

often a PIN. More robust forms of authentication, such as token-based authentication, network-based 

device authentication, and domain authentication, can be used instead of or in addition to the built-in 

device authentication capabilities. A second mitigation layer involves protecting sensitive data—either 

encrypting the mobile device’s storage so that sensitive data cannot be recovered from it by unauthorized 

parties, or not storing sensitive data on mobile devices. Even if a mobile device is always in the 

possession of its owner, there are other physical security risks, such as an attacker looking over a 

teleworker’s shoulder at a coffee shop and viewing sensitive data on the mobile device’s screen (for 

example, a password being entered). Finally, another layer of mitigation involves user training and 

awareness, to reduce the frequency of insecure physical security practices.

2.2.2 Use of Untrusted Mobile Devices

Many mobile devices, particularly those that are personally owned (bring your own device, BYOD), are 

not necessarily trustworthy. Most current mobile devices lack the root of trust features (e.g., trusted 

platform modules, TPMs) that are increasingly built into laptops and other types of hosts. There is also 

frequent jailbreaking and rooting of mobile devices, which means that the built-in restrictions on security, 

operating system use, etc. have been bypassed. Organizations should assume that all mobile devices are 

untrusted unless the organization has properly secured them and monitors their security continuously 

while in use with enterprise applications or data.

There are several possible mitigation strategies related to use of untrusted mobile devices. One option is 

to restrict or prohibit use of BYOD devices, thus favoring organization-issued devices. Another effective 

technique is to fully secure each organization-issued mobile device; this gets the mobile device in as 

trusted a state as possible, and deviations from this secure state can be monitored and addressed. There 

are also technical solutions for achieving degrees of trust in BYOD devices, such as running the 

organization’s software in a secure, isolated sandbox/secure container on the mobile device, or using 

device integrity scanning applications.

2.2.3 Use of Untrusted Networks

Because mobile devices primarily use non-organizational networks for Internet access, organizations 

normally have no control over the security of the external networks the devices use. Communications 

systems may include wireless mechanisms such as Wi-Fi and cellular networks. These communications 

systems are susceptible to eavesdropping, which places sensitive information transmitted at risk of 

compromise. Man-in-the-middle attacks may also be performed to intercept and modify communications. 

Unless it is absolutely certain that the mobile device will only be used on trusted networks controlled by 

the organization, organizations should plan their mobile device security on the assumption that the 

networks between the mobile device and the organization cannot be trusted. 

 3 Some mobile devices provide support for multiple user accounts on a single device. The assumption in this publication that a 

mobile device will have a single user is not meant to preclude the use of a single device by multiple users.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

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Risk from use of untrusted networks can be reduced by using strong encryption technologies (such as 

virtual private networks, VPNs) to protect the confidentiality and integrity of communications, as well as 

using mutual authentication mechanisms to verify the identities of both endpoints before transmitting 

data. Another possible mitigation is to prohibit use of insecure Wi-Fi networks, such as those running 

known vulnerable protocols. Also, all network interfaces not needed by the device can be disabled, thus 

reducing the attack surface.

2.2.4 Use of Untrusted Applications

Mobile devices are designed to make it easy to find, acquire, install, and use third-party applications from 

mobile device application stores. This poses obvious security risks, especially for mobile device platforms 

and application stores that do not place security restrictions or other limitations on third-party application 

publishing. Organizations should plan their mobile device security on the assumption that unknown thirdparty mobile device applications downloadable by users should not be trusted.

Risk from these applications can be reduced in several ways, such as prohibiting all installation of thirdparty applications, implementing whitelisting to allow installation of approved applications only,

verifying that applications only receive the necessary permissions on the mobile device, or implementing 

a secure sandbox/secure container that isolates the organization’s data and applications from all other data 

and applications on the mobile device. Another possible mitigation is to perform a risk assessment on 

each third-party application before permitting its use on the organization’s mobile devices.

It is important to note that even if these mitigation strategies are implemented for third-party applications, 

users can still access untrusted web-based applications through browsers built into their mobile devices. 

The risks inherent in this can be reduced by prohibiting or restricting browser access; by forcing mobile 

device traffic through secure web gateways, HTTP proxy servers, or other intermediate devices to assess 

URLs before allowing them to be contacted; or by using a separate browser within a secure 

sandbox/secure container for all browser-based access related to the organization, leaving the mobile 

device’s built-in browser for other uses.

2.2.5 Interaction with Other Systems

Mobile devices may interact with other systems in terms of data exchange (including synchronization)

and storage. Local system interaction generally involves connecting a mobile device to a desktop or 

laptop wirelessly or via a cable for syncing. It can also involve tethering, such as using one mobile device 

to provide network access for another mobile device.4 Remote system interaction most often involves 

automatic backups of data to a cloud-based storage solution. When all of these components are under the 

organization’s control, risk is generally acceptable, but often one or more of these components are 

external. Examples include connecting a personally-owned mobile device to an organization-issued 

laptop, connecting an organization-issued mobile device to a personally-owned laptop, connecting an 

organization-issued mobile device to a remote backup service, and connecting any mobile device to an 

untrusted charging station. In all of these scenarios, the organization’s data is at risk of being stored in an 

unsecured location outside the organization’s control; transmission of malware from device to device is 

also a possibility. There are also concerns regarding mobile devices exchanging data with each other.

The mitigation strategies depend on the type of attachment. Preventing an organization-issued mobile 

device from syncing with a personally-owned computer necessitates security controls on the mobile 

device that restrict what devices it can synchronize with. Preventing a personally-owned mobile device 

 4 Organizations should have policies regarding the use of tethering. If an organization permits tethering, then it should ensure 

that the network connections involving tethering are strongly protected (e.g., communications encryption). If an organization 

prohibits tethering, then it should configure mobile devices so that they cannot be used for tethering.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

6

from syncing with an organization-issued computer necessitates security controls on the organizationissued computer, restricting the connection of mobile devices. Preventing the use of remote backup 

services can possibly be achieved by blocking use of those services (e.g., not allowing the domain 

services to be contacted) or by configuring the mobile devices not to use such services. Users should be 

instructed not to connect their mobile devices to unknown charging devices; they should carry and use 

their own charging devices. Finally, mobile devices can be prevented from exchanging data with each 

other through logical or physical means (blocking use of services through configuration or physical 

shielding, etc.)

2.2.6 Use of Untrusted Content

Mobile devices may use untrusted content that other types of devices generally do not encounter. An 

example is Quick Response (QR) codes. They are specifically designed to be viewed and processed by 

mobile device cameras. Each QR code is translated to text, typically a URL, so malicious QR codes could 

direct mobile devices to malicious websites. This could allow for targeted attacking, such as placing 

malicious QR codes at a location where targeted users gather.

A primary mitigation strategy is to educate users on the risks inherent in untrusted content and to 

discourage users from accessing untrusted content with any mobile devices they use for work. Another 

mitigation is to have applications, such as QR readers, display the unobfuscated content (e.g., the URL)

and allow users to accept or reject it before proceeding. Depending on the network configuration, it may 

also be possible to use secure web gateways, HTTP proxy servers, or other intermediate devices to 

validate URLs before allowing them to be contacted. In high security situations, it is also possible to 

restrict peripheral use on mobile devices, such as disabling camera use in order to prevent QR codes from 

being processed.

2.2.7 Use of Location Services

Mobile devices with GPS capabilities typically run what are known as location services. These services 

map a GPS-acquired location to the corresponding businesses or other entities close to that location. 

Location services are heavily used by social media, navigation, web browsers, and other mobile-centric 

applications. In terms of organization security and personal privacy, mobile devices with location services 

enabled are at increased risk of targeted attacks because it is easier for potential attackers to determine 

where the user and the mobile device are, and to correlate that information with other sources about who 

the user associates with and the kinds of activities they perform in particular locations

This situation can be mitigated by disabling location services or by prohibiting use of location services for 

particular applications such as social networking or photo applications. Users may also be trained to turn 

off location services when in sensitive areas. However, a similar problem can occur even if GPS 

capabilities or location services are disabled. It is increasingly common for websites and applications to 

determine a person’s location based on their Internet connection, such as a Wi-Fi hotspot or IP address 

range. The primary mitigation for this is to opt out of such location services whenever possible.

Organizations should be aware that keeping location services enabled can also have positive effects on 

information security. For example, different security policies can be enforced depending on whether the 

mobile device is being used within the organization’s facilities or outside the organization’s facilities.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

7

3. Technologies for Mobile Device Management

Centralized mobile device management technologies are a growing solution for controlling the use of 

both organization-issued and personally-owned mobile devices by enterprise users. In addition to 

managing the configuration and security of mobile devices, these technologies offer other features, such 

as providing secure access to enterprise computing resources. This section provides an overview of the 

current state of these technologies, focusing on the technologies’ components, architectures, and 

capabilities.

3.1 Components and Architectures

There are two basic approaches to centralized mobile device management: use a messaging server’s 

management capabilities (often from the same vendor that makes a particular brand of mobile device

operating system), or use a product from a third party, which is designed to manage one or more brands of 

mobile device operating systems.

5 It may be possible with the latter approach to have a single product that 

can manage multiple brands of mobile device operating systems desired for use within an enterprise. 

However, a product provided by a mobile device manufacturer may have more robust support for the 

mobile devices than third party products. It is outside the scope of this publication to recommend one 

approach over the other; both approaches can provide the necessary centralized management 

functionality.

Architecturally, both approaches to centralized mobile device management are quite similar. The typical 

solution has a straightforward client/server architecture. The enterprise contains one or more servers that 

provide the centralized management capabilities, and one or more client applications are installed on each 

mobile device6 and configured to run in the background at all times. If the device is organization issued, 

the client application typically manages the configuration and security of the entire device. If the device is 

BYOD, the client application typically manages only the configuration and security of itself and its data, 

not the entire device. The client application and data should be sandboxed from the rest of the device’s 

applications and data in a secure container, both helping to protect the enterprise from a compromised 

device and helping to preserve the privacy of the device’s owner.

The centralized mobile device management may make use of other enterprise services, such as domain 

authentication services and VPN services. See Section 3.2 for additional information.

If there is not a centralized management solution, or certain mobile devices cannot use it, then mobile 

devices have to be managed individually and manually. In addition to the additional resources expended, 

there are two major security problems with this:

 The security controls provided by a mobile device often lack the rigor of those provided by a 

centralized mobile device management client application. For example, a mobile device often 

supports only a short passcode for authentication and may not support strong storage encryption. This 

will necessitate acquiring, installing, configuring, and maintaining a variety of third-party security 

controls that provide the missing functionality.

 It may not be possible to manage the security of the device when it is not physically present within 

the enterprise. It is possible to install utilities that manage devices remotely, but it will require 

significantly more effort to use such utilities to manually apply updates and perform other 

maintenance and management tasks with out-of-office mobile devices.

 5 Some mobile device management solutions also support the management of laptops, not just smart phones and tablets. 6 The client applications may have been preinstalled by the vendor. Also, in some cases, no agent is needed because the OS 

provides APIs that can be leveraged to collect all of the necessary information and manage policies.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

8

To avoid these problems, organizations may choose to prohibit the use of any mobile devices that are not 

centrally managed.

3.2 Capabilities

This section describes security services commonly needed for security management of mobile devices.

These services may be provided by the mobile device operating system, enterprise mobile device 

management (MDM) software, or other security controls. These services apply to the entire mobile device 

(if it is fully managed) or to the mobile device’s secure sandbox/secure container (as explained in Section 

3.1), unless explicitly noted otherwise. These services are equally relevant for centrally managed or 

individually managed mobile devices.

Most organizations will not need all of the security services listed in this section. Organizations deploying 

mobile devices should consider the merits of each security service, determine which services are needed 

for their environment, and then design and acquire one or more solutions that collectively provide the 

necessary services.

1. General policy. The centralized technology can enforce enterprise security policies on the mobile 

device, including (but not limited to) other policy items listed throughout Section 3.2. General policy 

restrictions of particular interest for mobile device security include the following:

 Restrict user and application access to hardware, such as the digital camera, GPS, Bluetooth

interface, USB interface, and removable storage.

 Restrict user and application access to native OS services, such as the built-in web browser, email 

client, calendaring, contacts, application installation services, etc.

 Manage wireless network interfaces (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.)

 Automatically monitor, detect, and report when policy violations occur, such as changes from the 

approved security configuration baseline, and automatically take action when possible and 

appropriate

 Limit or prevent access to enterprise services based on the mobile device’s operating system 

version (including whether the device has been rooted/jailbroken), vendor/brand, model, or 

mobile device management software client version (if applicable). Note that this information may 

be spoofable.

2. Data Communication and Storage

 Strongly encrypt data communications between the mobile device and the organization. This is 

most often in the form of a VPN, although it can be established through other uses of secure 

protocols and encryption. 

 Strongly encrypt stored data on both built-in storage and removable media storage. Removable 

media can also be “bound” to particular devices such that encrypted information can only be 

decrypted when the removable media is attached to the device, thereby mitigating the risk of 

offline attacks on the media.

 Wipe the device (to scrub its stored data) before reissuing it to another user, retiring the device, 

etc.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

9

 Remotely wipe the device (to scrub its stored data) if it is suspected that the device has been lost, 

stolen, or otherwise fallen into untrusted hands and is at risk of having its data recovered by an 

untrusted party.7 See Section 4.5 for more information on data scrubbing.

 A device often can also be configured to wipe itself after a certain number of incorrect 

authentication attempts.

3. User and Device Authentication

 Require a device password/passcode and/or other authentication (e.g., token-based authentication, 

network-based device authentication, domain authentication) before accessing the organization’s 

resources. This includes basic parameters for password strength and a limit on the number of 

retries permitted without negative consequences (e.g., locking out the account, wiping the 

device). 

 If device account lockout is enabled or the device password/passcode is forgotten, an 

administrator can reset this remotely to restore access to the device. 

 Have the device automatically lock itself after it is idle for a period (e.g., 5 minutes).

 Under the direction of an administrator, remotely lock the device if it is suspected that the device 

has been left in an unlocked state in an unsecured location.

4. Applications

 Restrict which app stores may be used.

 Restrict which applications may be installed through whitelisting (preferable) or blacklisting. 

 Restrict the permissions (e.g., camera access, location access) assigned to each application.

 Install, update, and remove applications. Safeguard the mechanisms used to perform these 

actions. Keep a current inventory of all applications installed on each device.

 Restrict the use of operating system and application synchronization services (e.g., local device 

synchronization, remote synchronization services and websites).

 Verify digital signatures on applications to ensure that only applications from trusted entities are 

installed on the device and that code has not been modified.

 Distribute the organization’s applications from a dedicated mobile application store.

 7 Remote wipe is a fundamentally unreliable security control; for example, an attacker could access information on a device 

before it is wiped, or an attacker could power off a device to prevent it from receiving a remote wipe signal. Organizations 

should not rely on remote wipe as the sole security control for protecting sensitive data, but instead consider it to be one 

layer of a multi-layered approach to protection.
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4. Security for the Enterprise Mobile Device Solution Life Cycle

This section explains how the concepts presented in the previous sections of the guide should be 

incorporated throughout the entire life cycle of enterprise mobile device solutions, involving everything 

from policy to operations. The section references a five-phase life cycle model to help organizations 

determine at what point in their mobile device solution deployments a recommendation may be relevant. 

Organizations may follow a project management methodology or life cycle model that does not directly 

map to the phases in the model presented here, but the types of tasks in the methodology and their 

sequencing are probably similar. The phases of the life cycle are as follows:

 Phase 1: Initiation. This phase involves the tasks that an organization should perform before it starts 

to design a mobile device solution. These include identifying needs for mobile devices, providing an 

overall vision for how mobile device solutions would support the mission of the organization, 

creating a high-level strategy for implementing mobile device solutions, developing a mobile device

security policy, and specifying business and functional requirements for the solution.

 Phase 2: Development. In this phase, personnel specify the technical characteristics of the mobile 

device solution and related components. These include the authentication methods and the 

cryptographic mechanisms used to protect communications and stored data. The types of mobile 

devices (brands, operating systems, etc.) to be authorized for use should also be considered, since 

they can affect the desired policies. Care should be taken to ensure that the mobile device security 

policy can be employed and enforced by all authorized clients. At the end of this phase, solution 

components are procured.

 Phase 3: Implementation. In this phase, equipment is configured to meet operational and security 

requirements, including the mobile device security policy documented in the system security plan, 

installed and tested as a pilot, and then activated on a production network. Implementation includes 

integration with other security controls and technologies, such as security event logging and 

authentication servers.

 Phase 4: Operations and Maintenance. This phase includes security-related tasks that an 

organization should perform on an ongoing basis once the mobile device solution is operational, 

including patching, log reviews, and attack detection.

 Phase 5: Disposal. This phase encompasses tasks that occur when a mobile device solution or its

components are being retired, including preserving information to meet legal requirements, sanitizing 

media, and disposing of equipment properly.

This section highlights security considerations of particular interest for mobile device solutions. These 

considerations are not intended to be comprehensive, nor is there any implication that security elements 

not listed here are unimportant or unnecessary.

4.1 Initiation

The initiation phase involves many preparatory actions, such as identifying current and future needs, and 

specifying requirements for performance, functionality, and security. A critical part of the initiation phase 

is the development of a mobile device security policy for an organization. The section lists elements that a 

mobile device security policy should contain and, where relevant, describes some of the factors that 

should be considered when making the decisions behind each element. A mobile device security policy 

should define which types of the organization’s resources may be accessed via mobile devices, which 

types of mobile devices are permitted to access the organization’s resources, the degree of access that 

various classes of mobile devices may have (for example, organization-issued devices versus personally-
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

11

owned devices), and how provisioning should be handled. It should also cover how the organization's 

centralized mobile device management servers are administered, how policies in those servers are 

updated, and all other requirements for mobile device management technologies. The mobile device

security policy should be documented in the system security plan. To the extent feasible and appropriate, 

the mobile device security policy should be consistent with and complement security policy for nonmobile systems.

4.1.1 Restrictions on Mobile Devices and Access Levels

An organization’s mobile device security policy often limits the types of mobile devices that may be used 

for enterprise access; this is done for a variety of reasons, including security concerns and technology 

limitations. For example, an organization might permit only organization-owned mobile devices to be 

used. Some organizations have tiered levels of access, such as allowing organization-issued mobile 

devices to access many resources, BYOD mobile devices running the organization’s mobile device 

management client software to access a limited set of resources, and all other BYOD mobile devices to 

access only a few web-based resources, such as email. This allows an organization to limit the risk it 

incurs by permitting the most-controlled devices to have the most access and the least-controlled devices 

to have only minimal access. Some organizations also maintain lists of approved mobile devices (by 

operating system version, by brand/model of phone, etc.)

Each organization should make its own risk-based decisions about what levels of access should be 

permitted from which types of mobile devices. Factors that organizations should consider when setting 

mobile device security policy for this include the following:

 Sensitivity of work. Some work involves access to sensitive information or resources, while other 

work does not. Organizations may have more restrictive requirements for work involving sensitive 

information, such as permitting only organization-issued devices to be used. Organizations should

also be concerned about the issues involved in remotely scrubbing sensitive information from BYOD

mobile devices (see Section 4.5 for more information on data scrubbing).

 The level of confidence in security policy compliance. Meeting many of an organization’s security 

requirements can typically be ensured only if the organization controls the configuration of the 

mobile devices. For devices not running the organization’s mobile device management client 

software, some requirements can possibly be verified by automated security health checks conducted 

by the mobile device management server when mobile devices attempt to connect, but other 

requirements cannot be verified. Organizations may decide to require mobile devices to run the 

specified mobile device management software.

 Cost. Costs associated with mobile devices will vary based on policy decisions. The primary direct 

cost from a security perspective is issuing mobile devices and client software. There are also indirect 

costs in maintaining the security of mobile devices and in providing security-related technical support

for users.

 Work location. Risks will generally be lower for devices used only in the enterprise environment 

than for devices used in a variety of locations.

 Technical limitations. Certain types of mobile devices or operating systems may be needed, such as 

for running a particular application. Also, an organization’s mobile device management client 

software may only support certain types of mobile devices (e.g., particular operating system 

versions).
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12

 Compliance with mandates and other policies. Organizations may need to comply with mobile 

device-related requirements from mandates and other sources, such as a Federal department issuing 

policy requirements to its member agencies. An example of a possible requirement is restrictions on 

using mobile devices in foreign countries that have strong known threats against Federal agency 

systems; in such cases, it may be appropriate to issue “loaner” mobile devices or to prohibit mobile 

device use altogether.

Organizations may choose to specify additional security requirements that are tied to factors such as the 

sensitivity of work. Many organizations require more stringent security controls for work situations that 

are particularly high-risk, such as permitting the work only from organization-issued and secured mobile

devices, and requiring the use of multi-factor authentication for access to the mobile device and to 

enterprise resources. Another possible security control is to migrate high-risk resources to servers that 

assume responsibility for protecting them; for example, a mobile device could connect to a server that 

holds sensitive data that the user needs to access, instead of the sensitive data being stored locally on the 

mobile device. In high-risk situations, organizations may also choose to reduce risk by prohibiting mobile 

devices from accessing particular types of information, such as sensitive personally identifiable 

information (PII).8

There are frequent changes in mobile device capabilities, the security controls available to organizations, 

the types of threats made to different types of devices, and so on. Therefore, organizations should 

periodically reassess their policies for mobile devices and consider changing which types of mobile

devices are permitted, what levels of access they may be granted, and which security controls are 

required. Organizations should also be aware of the emergence of new types of mobile device solutions 

and of major changes to existing mobile device management technologies, and ensure that the 

organization’s policies are updated accordingly as needed. 

4.1.2 Additional User Requirements

Organizations often have additional security considerations for mobile devices that, while helpful in 

mitigating threats, cannot necessarily be directly enforced by the organization. Organizations should 

educate users on the importance of these additional security measures and define users’ responsibilities 

for implementing these measures in policy and mobile device agreements. 

One possible security consideration involves wireless personal area networks (WPAN), which are smallscale wireless networks that require no infrastructure to operate. Examples of WPAN technologies are 

using a wireless keyboard or mouse with a computer, printing wirelessly, synchronizing a mobile device

with a computer wirelessly, and using a wireless headset or earpiece with a smart phone. Commonly used 

types of WPAN technologies include Bluetooth and near-field communications. For devices within 

proximity of significant threats, mobile device users should enable these technologies only when needed

to prevent misuse by unauthorized parties. Additional information on these security considerations is 

available from NIST SP 800-114, User’s Guide to Securing External Devices for Telework and Remote 

Access [SP800-114], and NIST SP 800-121 Revision 1, Guide to Bluetooth Security [SP800-121].

4.2 Development

Once the organization has established a mobile device security policy, identified mobile device needs, and 

completed other preparatory activities, the next steps are to determine which types of mobile device 

management technologies should be used and to design a solution to deploy. There are many 

considerations for designing a solution, most of which are generally applicable to any IT technology; 

 8 For more information on protecting PII, see NIST SP 800-122, Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally 

Identifiable Information (PII) [SP800-122]. 
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13

some of these are covered in Section 3 of this document and others in NIST SP 800-53 [SP800-53]. This 

section focuses on the technical security considerations that are most important for designing mobile 

device management solutions. Major considerations include the following:

 Architecture. Designing the architecture includes the selection of mobile device management server 

and client software, the placement of the mobile device management server and other centralized 

elements, and the architecture of any virtual private network (VPN) solutions.

 Authentication. Authentication involves selecting device and/or user authentication methods, 

including determining procedures for issuing and resetting authenticators and for provisioning users 

and/or client devices with authenticators (see “Device provisioning” below). Authentication includes 

access to or integration with existing enterprise authentication systems.

 Cryptography. Decisions related to cryptography include selecting the algorithms for encryption and 

integrity protection of mobile device communications, and setting the key strength for algorithms that 

support multiple key lengths.9 Federal agencies must use FIPS-approved algorithms contained in 

validated cryptographic modules when using cryptography to protect information.

10 

 Configuration requirements. This involves setting minimum security standards for mobile devices, 

such as mandatory host hardening measures and patch levels, and specifying additional security 

controls that must be employed on the mobile device, such as a VPN client.

 Device provisioning. It is important to determine how both new and existing devices will be 

provisioned with client software, authenticators, configuration settings, etc.

 Application vetting and certification requirements. This sets security, performance, and other 

requirements that applications must meet and determines how proof of compliance with requirements 

must be demonstrated.

The security aspects of the mobile device solution design should be documented in the system security 

plan. The organization should also consider how incidents involving the mobile device solutions should 

be handled and document those plans as well.11

4.3 Implementation

After the mobile device solution has been designed, the next step is to implement and test a pilot of the 

design, before putting the solution into production. Aspects of the solution that should be evaluated for 

each type of mobile device include the following:

 Connectivity. Users can establish and maintain connections from the mobile device to the 

organization from the locations they are expected to use. Users can connect to all of the 

organization’s resources that they are permitted to and cannot connect to any other organization 

resources.

 9 NIST SP 800-21, Second Edition, Guideline for Implementing Cryptography in the Federal Government, presents 

guidelines for selecting, specifying, employing, and evaluating cryptographic protection mechanisms in Federal information 

systems. It defines a process for selecting cryptographic products and discusses implementation issues, including solution 

management, key management, and authentication. [SP800-21] 10 The Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) at NIST coordinates FIPS 140-2 testing; the CMVP Web site is 

located at http://csrc.nist.gov/cryptval/. See http://csrc.nist.gov/cryptval/des.htm for information on FIPS-approved 

symmetric key algorithms, and http://csrc.nist.gov/cryptval/dss.htm for information on digital signature algorithms. See 

FIPS 140-2, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules, for more information. [FIPS140-2] 11 For more information on incident handling, see [SP800-61].
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 Protection. Information stored on the mobile device and communications between the mobile device 

and the organization are protected in accordance with the established requirements.

 Authentication. Authentication is required and cannot be readily compromised or circumvented. All 

device, user, and domain authentication policies are enforced. 

 Applications. The applications to be supported by the mobile device solution function properly. All 

restrictions on installing applications are enforced. All restrictions on uninstalling applications (such 

as enterprise mobile device management software) are enforced.

 Management. Administrators can configure and manage all components of the solution effectively 

and securely. The ease of deployment and configuration is particularly important. Another concern is 

the ability of users to alter device/client software settings, which could weaken mobile device

security. 

 Logging. The mobile device solution logs security events in accordance with the organization’s 

policies. See NIST SP 800-92, Guide to Computer Security Log Management, for additional 

information on logging. Note that the security logging capabilities of mobile devices vary widely.

 Performance. All components of the solution provide adequate performance during normal and peak 

usage. It is important to also consider the performance of intermediate devices, such as routers and 

firewalls.

 Security of the Implementation. The mobile device implementation itself may contain 

vulnerabilities and weaknesses that attackers could exploit. Organizations with high security needs 

may choose to perform extensive vulnerability assessments against the mobile device solution

components. At a minimum, all components should be updated with the latest available patches and 

configured following sound security practices. The organization should also take basic measures to 

prevent the user from circumventing the device’s security features. Also, jailbroken or rooted mobile 

devices should be automatically detected to prohibit their use, for cases in which detection is feasible.

 Default Settings. On a per-OS version basis, implementers should carefully review the default values 

for each mobile device setting and alter the settings as necessary to support security requirements. 

Implementers should also ensure that the mobile device solution does not unexpectedly “fall back” to 

insecure default settings for interoperability or other reasons.

Organizations should fully secure each organization-issued mobile device before allowing a user to access 

it. Any already-deployed mobile device with an unknown security profile (e.g., unmanaged device) 

should be fully secured to a known good state (for example, through deployment and use of enterprise 

mobile device management technologies). Supplemental security controls should be deployed as risk 

merits, such as antivirus software and data loss prevention (DLP) technologies.

4.4 Operations and Maintenance

Operational processes that are particularly helpful for maintaining mobile device security, and thus should 

be performed regularly, include the following:

 Checking for upgrades and patches to the mobile device solution components (including mobile 

device infrastructure components, mobile device operating systems, and mobile device applications), 

and acquiring, testing, and deploying the updates12

 12 Some mobile devices do not offer OS upgrades; even though a newer OS version might be generally available, it cannot be 

installed on a particular mobile device, often due to hardware limitations. This can significantly negatively impact the 
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE SECURITY OF MOBILE DEVICES IN THE ENTERPRISE

15

 Ensuring that each mobile device infrastructure component (mobile device management servers, 

authentication servers, etc.) has its clock synced to a common time source so that its timestamps will 

match those generated by other systems

 Reconfiguring access control features as needed based on factors such as policy changes, technology 

changes, audit findings, and new security needs

 Detecting and documenting anomalies within the mobile device infrastructure through continuous 

monitoring, including unauthorized configuration changes to mobile devices. Such anomalies might 

indicate malicious activity or deviations from policy and procedures. Anomalies should be reported to 

other systems’ administrators as appropriate.

 Keeping an active inventory of each mobile device, its user(s), and its applications

 Providing training and awareness activities for mobile device users on threats and recommended 

security practices

 Revoking access to or deleting an application that has already been installed but has subsequently 

been assessed as too risky to use

 Scrubbing sensitive data from mobile devices before reissuing them to other users (see Section 4.5 for 

more information on data scrubbing)

Organizations should also periodically perform assessments to confirm that the organization’s mobile 

device policies, processes, and procedures are being followed properly. Assessment activities may be 

passive, such as reviewing logs, or active, such as performing vulnerability scans and penetration testing. 

More information on technical assessments is available from NIST SP 800-115, Technical Guide to 

Information Security Testing and Assessment [SP800-115].

4.5 Disposal

Before a mobile device component permanently leaves an organization (such as when a leased server’s 

lease expires or when an obsolete mobile device is being recycled) or is reassigned to another user, the 

organization should remove any sensitive data from the mobile device. The task of scrubbing all sensitive

data from storage devices such as hard drives and memory cards is often surprisingly difficult because of

all the places where such data resides and the increasing reliance on flash memory instead of magnetic 

disks. See NIST SP 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization [SP800-88], for additional information and 

recommendations on removing data from mobile devices. 

 security of the mobile devices, such as if they are “stuck” on a known vulnerable OS version that cannot be updated. 

Organizations should carefully consider the risks of using devices with outdated OS versions.
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Appendix A—Supporting NIST SP 800-53 Security Controls and Publications

The major controls in the NIST Special Publication 800-53 Revision 4, Security and Privacy Controls for 

Federal Information Systems and Organizations control catalog that affect enterprise mobile device 

security are:

AC-3, Access Enforcement

Related controls: AC-2, AC-4, AC-5, AC-6, AC-16, AC-17, AC-18, AC-19, AC-20,

AC-21, AC-22, AU-9, CM-5, CM-6, CM-11, MA-3, MA-4, MA-5, PE-3

AC-4, Information Flow Enforcement

Related controls: AC-3, AC-17, AC-19, AC-21, CM-6, CM-7, SA-8, SC-2, SC-5, SC-7, SC-18

AC-17, Remote Access

Related controls: AC-2, AC-3, AC-18, AC-19, AC-20, CA-3, CA-7, CM-8, IA-2, IA-3, IA-8, MA-4, PE17, PL-4, SC-10, SI-4

References: NIST Special Publications 800-46, 800-77, 800-113, 800-114, 800-121

AC-18, Wireless Access

Related controls: AC-2, AC-3, AC-17, AC-19, CA-3, CA-7, CM-8, IA-2, IA-3, IA-8, PL-4, SI-4

References: NIST Special Publications 800-48, 800-94, 800-97

AC-19, Access Control for Mobile Devices

Related controls: AC-3, AC-7, AC-18, AC-20, CA-9, CM-2, IA-2, IA-3, MP-2, MP-4, MP-5, PL-4, SC-7, 

SC-43, SI-3, SI-4

References: NIST Special Publications 800-114, 800-124

AC-20, Use of External Information Systems

Related controls: AC-3, AC-17, AC-19, CA-3, PL-4, SA-9

References: FIPS Publication 199

AT-2, Security Awareness Training

Related controls: AT-3, AT-4, PL-4

References: NIST Special Publication 800-50

AU-2, Audit Events

Related controls: AC-6, AC-17, AU-3, AU-12, MA-4, MP-2, MP-4, SI-4

References: NIST Special Publication 800-92; http://csrc.nist.gov/pcig/cig.html; http://idmanagement.gov

CA-7, Continuous Monitoring

Related controls: CA-2, CA-5, CA-6, CM-3, CM-4, PM-6, PM-9, RA-5, SA-11, SA-12, SI-2, SI-4

References: NIST Special Publications 800-37, 800-39, 800-53A, 800-115, 800-137; US-CERT 

Technical Cyber Security Alerts; DOD Information Assurance Vulnerability Alerts

CM-6, Configuration Settings

Related controls: AC-19, CM-2, CM-3, CM-7, SI-4
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References: OMB Memoranda 07-11, 07-18, 08-22; NIST Special Publications 800-70, 800-128; 

http://nvd.nist.gov; http://checklists.nist.gov/, http://www.nsa.gov

IA-2, Identification and Authentication (Organizational Users)

Related controls: AC-2, AC-3, AC-14, AC-17, AC-18, IA-4, IA-5, IA-8

References: HSPD 12; OMB Memorandum 04-04, 06-16, 11-11; FIPS Publication 201; NIST Special 

Publications 800-63, 800-73, 800-76, 800-78; FICAM Roadmap and Implementation Guidance; 

http://idmanagement.gov/

IA-3, Device Identification and Authentication

Related controls: AC-17, AC-18, AC-19, CA-3, IA-4, IA-5

IA-5, Authenticator Management

Related controls: AC-2, AC-3, AC-6, CM-6, IA-2, IA-4, IA-8, PL-4, PS-5, PS-6, SC-12, SC-13, SC-17, 

SC-28

References: OMB Memorandum 04-04, 11-11; FIPS Publication 201; NIST Special Publications 800-73, 

800-63, 800-76, 800-78 ; FICAM Roadmap and Implementation Guidance; http://idmanagement.gov/

MP-6, Media Sanitization

Related controls: MA-2, MA-4, RA-3, SC-4

References: FIPS Publication 199; NIST Special Publications 800-60, 800-88; 

http://www.nsa.gov/ia/guidance/media_destruction_guidance/index.shtml

SC-4, Information in Shared Resources

Related controls: AC-3, AC-4, MP-6

SC-7, Boundary Protection

Related controls: AC-4, AC-17, CA-3, CM-7, CP-8, IR-4, RA-3, SC-5, SC-13

References: FIPS Publication 199; NIST Special Publications 800-41, 800-77

SC-8, Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity

Related controls: AC-17, PE-4

References: FIPS Publications 140-2, 197; NIST Special Publications 800-52, 800-77, 800-81, 800-113; 

CNSS Policy 15; NSTISSI No. 7003

SC-28, Protection of Information at Rest

Related controls: AC-3, AC-6, CA-7, CM-3, CM-5, CM-6, PE-3, SC-8, SC-13, SI-3, SI-7

References: NIST Special Publications 800-56, 800-57, 800-111 

SI-2, Flaw Remediation

Related controls: CA-2, CA-7, CM-3, CM-5, CM-8, MA-2, IR-4, RA-5, SA-10, SA-11, SI-11

References: NIST Special Publication 800-40, 800-128

SI-4, Information System Monitoring

Related controls: AC-3, AC-4, AC-8, AC-17, AU-2, AU-6, AU-7, AU-9, AU-12, CA-7, IR-4, PE-3, RA5, SC-7, SC-26, SC-35, SI-3, SI-7
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References: NIST Special Publications 800-61, 800-83, 800-92, 800-94, 800-137

SI-7, Software, Firmware, and Information Integrity

Related controls: SA-12, SC-8, SC-13, SI-3

References: NIST Special Publications 800-147, 800-155

Information on these controls and guidelines on possible implementations can be found in the following 

publications:

• SP 800-37 Rev. 1, Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information 

Systems: A Security Life Cycle Approach

• Draft SP 800-40 Rev. 3, Guide to Enterprise Patch Management Technologies

• SP 800-41 Rev. 1, Guidelines on Firewalls and Firewall Policy

• SP 800-46 Rev. 1, Guide to Enterprise Telework and Remote Access Security

• SP 800-52, Guidelines for the Selection and Use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) 

Implementations

• SP 800-53 Rev. 4, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and 

Organizations

• SP 800-53A Rev. 1, Guide for Assessing the Security Controls in Federal Information Systems 

and Organizations

• SP 800-57, Recommendation for Key Management

• SP 800-61 Rev. 2, Computer Security Incident Handling Guide

• SP 800-63 Rev. 1, E-Authentication Guideline

• SP 800-70 Rev. 2, National Checklist Program for IT Products: Guidelines for Checklist Users 

and Developers

• SP 800-73-3, Interfaces for Personal Identity Verification

• Draft SP 800-76-2, Biometric Data Specification for Personal Identity Verification

• SP 800-77, Guide to IPsec VPNs

• SP 800-78-3, Cryptographic Algorithms and Key Sizes for Personal Identification Verification 

(PIV)

• SP 800-81 Rev. 1, Secure Domain Name System (DNS) Deployment Guide

• Draft SP 800-83 Rev. 1, Guide to Malware Incident Prevention and Handling

• SP 800-92, Guide to Computer Security Log Management

• Draft SP 800-94 Rev. 1, Guide to Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS)

• SP 800-111, Guide to Storage Encryption Technologies for End User Devices

• SP 800-113, Guide to SSL VPNs

• SP 800-114, User's Guide to Securing External Devices for Telework and Remote Access
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• SP 800-121 Rev. 1, Guide to Bluetooth Security

• SP 800-128, Guide for Security-Focused Configuration Management of Information Systems

• FIPS 140-2, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules

• FIPS 197, Advanced Encryption Standard

• FIPS 199, Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems

• FIPS 201-1, Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees and Contractors
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Appendix B—Acronyms and Abbreviations

Selected acronyms and abbreviations used in this publication are defined below.

BYOD Bring Your Own Device

CMVP Cryptographic Module Validation Program

DLP Data Loss Prevention

FIPS Federal Information Processing Standard

FISMA Federal Information Security Management Act

GAO Government Accountability Office

GPS Global Positioning System

IT Information Technology

ITL Information Technology Laboratory

MDM Mobile Device Management

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology

OMB Office of Management and Budget

PII Personally Identifiable Information

PIN Personal Identification Number

QR Quick Response

SP Special Publication

TPM Trusted Platform Module

VPN Virtual Private Networking

Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity

WPAN Wireless Personal Area Network
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Appendix C—Resources

The lists below provide examples of resources that may be helpful in better understanding mobile device

security. 

[FIPS140-2] FIPS 140-2, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules, May 2001.

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsFIPS.html#140-2

[FIPS199] FIPS 199, Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information 

Systems, 2004. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsFIPS.html#199

[GAO-12-757] GAO-12-757, Information Security: Better Implementation of Controls for Mobile 

Devices Should Be Encouraged, September 2012. http://www.gao.gov/assets/650/648519.pdf

[SP800-21] NIST SP 800-21-1, Guideline for Implementing Cryptography in the Federal Government, 

Second Edition, 2005. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-21

[SP800-53] NIST SP 800-53 Revision 4, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems 

and Organizations, 2013. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-53

[SP800-61] NIST SP 800-61 Revision 2, Computer Security Incident Handling Guide, 2008. 

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-61

[SP800-88] NIST SP 800-88 Revision 1, Guidelines for Media Sanitization, 2012. 

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-88

[SP800-111] NIST SP 800-111, Guide to Storage Encryption Technologies for End User Devices, 2007. 

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-111

[SP800-114] NIST SP 800-114, User’s Guide to Securing External Devices for Telework and Remote 

Access, 2007. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-114

[SP800-115] NIST SP 800-115, Technical Guide to Information Security Testing and Assessment, 2008. 

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-115

[SP800-121] NIST SP 800-121 Revision 1, Guide to Bluetooth Security, 2012. 

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-121

[SP800-122] NIST SP 800-122, Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable 

Information (PII), 2010. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-122

Mobile Device Security-Related Checklist Sites

Site URL

DISA Security Technical Implementation 

Guides (STIGs)

http://iase.disa.mil/stigs/index.html

DISA Wireless (Smartphone/Tablet) STIGs http://iase.disa.mil/stigs/net_perimeter/wireless/smartphone.html

NIST National Checklist Program Repository http://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/ncp/repository