In 2013, it is estimated that people will purchase more than 1.2 billion mobile devices, surpassing PCs as the most common device used to access the Internet in the world. People are also relying more on their mobile devices for transactions like banking and shopping which could lead to a growing trend of cybercrime that is targeting smartphones and tablets. In fact, a recent study reported that the frequency of mobile threats doubled between 2010 and 2011, according to Symantec, and 35 percent of online adults worldwide have either lost or had their mobile device stolen, exposing them to data and identity theft. 

We looked at this data and began to develop an app to help protect our Xfinity Internet customers’ mobile devices. With the launch of Constant Guard Mobile, we believe that we are the first ISP in the nation to offer an Internet safety and security solution for mobile devices. We are currently offering this app to our Xfinity Internet customers at no additional cost, and it provides features to help them browse, shop and bank online securely while on-the-go.  

Here’s how it works:  The mobile app will directly connect customers to the IP address of all major financial and banking sites in the United States.  This will help limit redirect attempts and man-in-the-middle attacks that can result in stolen personal data that can lead to identity theft. In addition, Constant Guard Mobile is our first platform on which we are launching Constant Guard Safe Search.   This technology evaluates Websites and checks them for spam and bots and provides a safety score for the site.  When using the web browser on Constant Guard Mobile, customers will be alerted if a site is considered risky before they click on it.    

This is just a snapshot on a variety of safety and security features that we plan to bring to our customers to help protect their mobile devices. Today the app is available for iOS devices and we plan to launch a version for Android in the coming months.