SMS reading:
https://support.sophos.com/support/s/article/KB-000034436?language=en_US
Call log reading:
app lists:
https://help.ivanti.com/mi/help/en_us/cld/admin/ivanti/91/all/en-us/App_Inventory.htm
I looked through your links. I don’t see anywhere that SMS can be read. The permission kind of makes sense as there is a security component to filter spam/phishing type texts. Sophos themselves claim they don’t store any of that data.
I hadn’t ever seen the call log one and I’m not sure what that would even be used for. It was interesting though.
App lists is common across all MDMs. It’s used to ensure apps are being updated and on fully owned corporate devices some apps will be blocked.
It seems like many don’t really understand how this technology works. That said, it’s better to be overly careful and I agree with others in the comments. If you want me to use a mobile device for work you can provide it, I don’t put MDM on my personal device*.
*the exception being our own MDM we have setup to manage our personal devices more easily.
I looked through your links. I don’t see anywhere that SMS can be read.
From the link, emphasis mine. SMC is the MDM in question
Read SMS or MMS
Allows an application to read SMS messages stored on your device or SIM card.
Malicious applications may read your confidential messages.
SMC usage:
- Read the initial configuration and further server notifications.
2. Read all SMS for Backup.
Yep, it’s part of their message filtering that I mentioned.
This link provides more information and explicitly states the following:
Sophos Mobile does not track privacy data such as contacts, SMS and call history, browser history, bookmarks, or emails. Sophos Mobile does not access any data outside of the Sophos container.
and
Sophos Mobile does not track privacy data such as contacts, SMS and call history, browser history, bookmarks, emails, or data on the SD card.
Sophos has a strong cybersecurity focus which, I’d imagine, is why they have the message filtering option that they do.
