Report Highlights Top BYOD Risks, Prevention
Data center provider, CyrusOne, recently released a new report featuring the top four Bring Your Own Device security risks for organizations looking to implement a new BYOD policy. The report also provides ways to prevent an attack from happening to you.
BYOD has already been implemented in organizations across the globe, but more would take advantage of the benefits it offers if they were less concerned with the risks. A BYOD policy reduces IT costs while increasing productivity and employee satisfaction. Whether your business is thinking of trying this out, or you already have something in place, these findings are worth taking a look at.
Malware was the first of the top BYOD security risks listed in the report, according to apptechnews.com. The report cited a 2016 survey of 800 cybersecurity professionals, which found that 39% of organizations worldwide detected malware had been downloaded on BYOD or corporate-owned personal devices.
Connection hijacking also made the list, and should be looked at more closely by those who work outside a typical office environment.
“Organizations should develop an acceptable use policy for employee devices”
“To address the threat of unsecured networks, organizations should develop an acceptable use policy for employee devices that prohibits the use of unsecured wireless networks to connect to their corporate network,” the report says.
Phishing was also a top risk along with device theft, which the report found was the least dangerous. Research reportedly shows that phone thefts are on the decline due to the increased usage of kill switches.
The report also found that educating your staff properly is one of the best ways to prevent an attack. It says an employee who is trained properly will know the possible issues that could arise when downloading apps through third parties and how to keep their device’s OS up to date.
“Security is a challenge in IT that, unfortunately, is never going to go away,” CyrusOne CIO Blake Hankins told apptechnews.com. “As technology continues to advance and change, all companies must be aware of the risks they face and enterprise employees must be aware of the immediate precautions required to keep technology safe, especially when using individual devices in an enterprise setting.”
For more information on BYOD policies, click around our Best Practices section.
