FMG Releases New Guidance for Securing Government Mobile Devices Overseas

The Federal Mobility Group has released new guidance for securing government mobile devices when employees travel overseas, in a broad effort to confront and mitigate the growing list of mobile-specific cybersecurity challenges. The interagency body outlines the risks in carrying smartphones and tablets abroad, as well as best practices for securing them, in its “International Travel Guidance for Government-Furnished Mobile Devices” draft report.

The FMG guidance stressed that government employees traveling to a foreign country or embassy within the U.S. should be aware that because of their portability and always-on state, mobile devices are susceptible to compromise, theft, physical damage or loss. The document further states that the recent COVID-19 pandemic has increased the attack surface associated with mobility as the government has transitioned to a highly mobile and dispersed workforce.

Agency reporting requirements for mobile devices have increased in recent years, even before President Joe Biden’s cybersecurity executive order in May. Last year, for instance, agencies had to start reporting on the percentage of their mobile devices that are covered by a Mobile Threat Defense capability, Federal News Network reported Friday.

The FMG is chartered under the Federal Chief Information Security Council and works across the federal government to identify common mobility challenges, develop workable solutions and create opportunities to share best practices. As federal agencies become increasingly reliant on using wireless and mobility solutions to meet their mission, it becomes increasingly important for them to collaborate with each other to develop solutions to cybersecurity issues, CIO. gov said.

Meanwhile, Kevin Gallo, director of technical account management within the General Services Administration’s Office of Enterprise Technology Solutions, said the FMG is currently “crunching some government-wide data to get a better handle on helping agencies acquire secure mobile solutions.”