Taking work home, or practically anywhere, has never been easier. The bring your own device (BYOD) strategy has become a popular approach to conduct more flexible and efficient work. But this strategy is not without risks. BYOD, if not implemented correctly, can make your system susceptible to a number of attacks.
Here are a few security hazards you should keep a close eye on.
Data leakage
A BYOD strategy can leave the company’s system vulnerable to data breaches. Personal devices are not part of your business’s IT infrastructure. That means that your employee’s devices are not protected by company firewalls and security systems.
Employees might also take work with them to places outside of your company premises that don’t have adequate security settings. This leaves your system vulnerable to inherent security risks.
Lost devices
Another risk your company has to deal with is the possibility that employees will lose their personal devices. If units with sensitive business information get lost and fall into the wrong hands, it can be a disaster. Anyone can gain unauthorized access to valuable company data stored in that particular device. Therefore, there must be countermeasures and protocols for lost devices. This includes remotely wiping all the information in the device as soon as an employee reports it missing or stolen.
Possible hacking
Personal devices tend to lack adequate data encryption to keep other people from snooping on private information. On top of this, your employees might not regularly update their devices’ software, rendering their devices susceptible to infiltration. Even your IT infrastructure will be affected by this vulnerability.
Connecting to open WiFi spots in public places also makes your company vulnerable and open to hackers. Once the device owner has connected to a malicious hotspot, attackers can see your web activity, usernames, and passwords in plain text
Vulnerability to malware
Viruses are also a big problem when implementing BYOD strategies. If your employees use their personal devices, they can access sites or download mobile apps that your business would normally restrict to protect your system.
BYOD will help your business grow, but it comes with IT security risks that you should be prepared to handle. If you’re thinking about implementing BYOD strategies, make sure your IT department is prepared for an array of potential malware attacks on different devices.
Need help mitigating these BYOD risks? Call us today, and let’s find the best IT security solutions for your company.