The rise of mobile devices has created uncertainties regardingwhat authority a company has over an employee's personal device ifit is also used for work-related activities, and what actions acompany must take if a device is lost or stolen, according toexperts.

Mobile devices are vulnerable to cyber attacks just like desktopcomputers and laptops are, according to Larry Collins, vicepresident, e-solutions, risk engineering at Zurich NA. Speakingtoday during Advisen's webinar, “Cyber Security: The GrowingLiability of Handheld & Mobile Devices,” Collins explained thatthese devices are essentially mini or micro computers, and he addedthat any computer system that has a networked connection orsoftware system can be broken into and hacked.

Additionally, because devices such as smartphones and tabletsare small and portable, they are easily misplaced. John Mullen, apartner with Nelson, Levine, de Luca & Hamilton, said duringthe webinar that the TSA had to lease a new warehouse just to storedevices misplaced and left behind at airports.