Verizon recently released its 2025 Mobile Security Index report showing that mobile devices are under attack more than ever and that 85 percent of organizations report increased mobile attacks. Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) are particularly worried with 57 percent of them agreeing that they are at a disadvantage in terms of resources, making it more difficult for them to respond to cybersecurity attacks compared to larger enterprises.

Fifty-four percent of SMBs say they have more to lose from a security breach, and the statistics from larger enterprises tend to agree with that sentiment. Verizon suggests that this could be because larger enterprises are generally more proactive about implementing security controls. The research found that larger enterprises train more employees on mobile security (66 percent versus only 56 percent of SMBs). Larger enterprises also provide more comprehensive AI risk training (50 percent versus only 39 percent of SMBs). Additionally, they implement more advanced multifactor authentication (57 percent versus 45 percent of SMBs).

Organizations of all sizes, however, are being cautious. Sixty-three percent of survey respondents said they experienced major problems due to downtime. This is a significant increase over last year. Fifty percent suffered data loss, which is the number one feared outcome.

According to the report, organizations are working to close security gaps, with 75 percent increasing mobile security spending over the past year. The rise of generative AI use among employees, however, is "expanding the attack surface," the company says. Thirty-four percent of responding organizations said they fear that more sophisticated and large-scale AI-powered attacks will significantly increase their risk. Thirty-eight percent believe ransomware will become more dangerous when powered by AI.

"This year’s Mobile Security Index is a clear wake-up call: mobile security is no longer a perimeter defense, but a battle fought in the palm of every employee’s hand," commented Chris Novak, VP of Global Cybersecurity Solution at Verizon Business. "We talk about the perfect storm: with the rise of AI, we’re witnessing a Category 5 hurricane in mobile security, where AI is the wind - and human error is the open window. The rapid adoption of gen AI is a game-changer, and businesses of all sizes must rethink security measures aimed at AI-assisted attacks and support employees in leveraging technology securely."

The research found that of the 80 percent of organizations who conducted employee phishing tests, 39 percent found that up to half their employees clicked on a malicious link. Verizon uses this as an example of the "perfect storm" analogy to illustrate that the intersection of human behavior, mobile devices, and AI-powered threats is the "new epicenter of organizational risk."

Organizations are spending more on security, but they are also taking a broader view on how to best defend themselves.

"While threats evolve, so do defenses," said Novak. "A proactive and multi-layered approach to mobile security is no longer just a best practice, it’s a business imperative. This includes robust employee training, clear AI usage policies, and intelligent security solutions."

SMBs may be at a disadvantage compared to larger enterprises when it comes to resources, but it is in their best interest to use these approaches to the best of their ability as threats continue to evolve.