BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) has become a staple in modern workplaces, with 82% of organizations now implementing a program. Initially, this trend promised numerous benefits, including increased employee satisfaction, flexibility, and cost savings for businesses. Employees could use their personal devices, which they were already comfortable with, leading to improved productivity and reduced hardware expenses for companies. However, as with any new practice, the honeymoon period appears to be dwindling, revealing significant risks that need immediate attention.
According to The Employee App, over 82% of frontline workers use personal devices for work communication, despite the mobile threat landscape rapidly evolving. Although this doesn’t provide a complete picture of the BYOD landscape, ITPro reports that over 81% of employers are contemplating a shift back to company-owned and issued devices due to privacy and security concerns.
The top 4 BYOD risks businesses face
A key challenge in managing mobile devices is that corporate IT often lacks visibility into the security posture of these endpoints, which can lead to significant security risks. According to a recent report, 22% of employees’ BYOD devices have downloaded malware over the past 12 months, while nearly half of these organizations aren’t sure or can’t disclose if employees have downloaded malware on personal devices at work.
Unsecured personal devices in the workplace can serve as entry points for attackers, especially when misconfigurations or unintentional user actions compromise security measures. In fact, 30% of organizations report having no visibility or control over mobile messaging on these devices, making it difficult to detect or prevent potential breaches.
BYOD is particularly concerning for organizations in regulated sectors, such as healthcare, finance, and government, where strict compliance with security mandates is essential. Failure to maintain secure devices and adhere to these regulations can result in severe consequences, including data breaches, financial penalties, and reputational damage.
The article from ITPro underscores four major risks associated with BYOD policies:
- Security vulnerabilities: Personal devices often have unpatched vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. Phishing and social engineering are risks that employees carry over to the workplace, and their personal devices may not have adequate security measures to mitigate these attacks. Employee-owned devices could be jailbroken or rooted, bypassing security controls and exposing corporate data to bad actors, particularly when users do not maintain good hygiene, such as strong passwords, properly configuring devices, and regularly installing the latest OS updates.
- Shadow IT: The use of unsanctioned apps and cloud services can pose a threat to sensitive data. Employees often install apps without the knowledge or approval of IT departments, leading to potential security breaches. These apps may not have undergone proper security assessments, such as mobile app vetting (MAV), exposing confidential business information and increasing the risk of unauthorized access. Unauthorized apps, often a byproduct of shadow IT, are prime targets for the spread of malware. While organizations may believe that allowing employees to use their own devices results in better ROI, they soon discover that inadequate standardization and increasing support requirements quickly diminish any initial savings.
- Data breaches: Advanced security measures seem to be falling short for unmanaged personal devices, which access vast amounts of personal and corporate data that can be unknowingly harvested and used to breach corporate security. Strong passwords and biometrics are no match for persistent attackers on decentralized devices. The use of public Wi-Fi adds an additional layer of vulnerability for employees, who view it as essential, but risk exposing sensitive information, even when using a VPN. Employees using personal devices for both work and leisure can inadvertently expose critical data, heightening the risk of data breaches.
- Infringements on privacy: In certain situations, BYOD policies may fail to comply with data protection laws such as HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA, potentially placing companies in legal jeopardy. Personal devices can store sensitive personal information, and the loss of them due to theft or carelessness may result in infringement of privacy laws. Once a device is out of the workplace, it may not be subject to corporate security and encryption policies.
ITPro’s article underscores four risks closely connected to the mobile threats and challenges encountered daily. It is imperative for organizations, regardless of size, to prioritize BYOD and mobile security policies when granting access to corporate resources.
Mitigating BYOD risks
Security teams don’t need to remain in a constant state of reaction, scrambling to address zero-day vulnerabilities or deal with the fallout from major data breaches. Instead, a proactive approach to using advanced mobile security tools, educating employees, and enforcing strict policies can help them stay ahead of emerging threats. Here are some recommendations for organizations looking to secure their BYOD environment:
Implement a privacy-first BYOD mobile security solution
A privacy-by-design mobile security solution enables IT teams to monitor and protect employee-owned devices remotely, without exposing personal data and apps to the organization. With a comprehensive mobile solution, companies can enforce security policies, properly analyze unauthorized apps for privacy and security risks, and monitor suspicious activity on personal devices connected to the corporate network.
Enabling a human-centric user experience is important, as it reduces the burden on IT teams. This approach not only strengthens the overall security, but also educates employees on good security practices, fostering a more secure and aware mobile environment.
Regular security training and awareness programs
Employees must be educated on best practices for securing personal devices used for work purposes. Regular training on identifying phishing attacks, avoiding downloading suspicious apps, and proper use of public Wi-Fi can help reduce the risk of security breaches.
Clear BYOD policies and agreements
Organizations should establish clear guidelines and expectations for employees using personal devices at work. These policies should specify protocols for lost or stolen devices, acceptable use, and consequences for non-compliance with security measures.
Integrate Contextual Mobile Intelligence
By integrating contextual mobile security intelligence, companies can gain better visibility into the security and privacy risks associated with BYOD. This technology provides real-time insights into malicious app behaviors, vulnerability and risk management, allowing IT teams to detect and respond quickly to potential threats.
While BYOD has been a resourceful tool for organizations, driving a 68% increase in productivity after implementation, it has also introduced significant cybersecurity risks. It’s uncertain whether organizations will continue with BYOD in its current form or return to corporate-owned and managed mobile devices. However, there are effective security solutions available to help manage these risks, ensuring that benefits of BYOD can be realized without compromising security. Finding the right balance will be important for CISOs and security teams to move forward, ensuring that both productivity and security are maintained in today’s mobile-first world.
How Quokka can help mitigate BYOD risks
Quokka offers a comprehensive solution for BYOD security, providing enterprise-grade protection for employee-owned devices while preserving the privacy of their data and personal apps. This includes agentless mobile app vetting (via MDM) or BYOD offering for those with no MDM, continuous monitoring and risk assessment.
Q-scout provides actionable insights into the managed and personal apps installed on mobile devices accessing enterprise resources and data. By analyzing malicious behaviors, security vulnerabilities, and privacy issues, enterprise security and IT teams can receive anonymized alerts and enforce proactive security measures based on risk-based policies they set for their organization.
BYOD policies offer many benefits for both employees and organizations, but they also come with significant risks that should not be ignored. Learn more about Quokka’s Q-scout BYOD mobile security solution.
