Mobile data breaches are far more common than many of us may think. In fact, a recent study by the Ponemon Institute showed that a whopping 67% of organizations were “certain or likely that their organization had a data breach as a result of employees using their mobile devices to access the company’s sensitive and confidential information.” Wow! Two of three companies suspect they’ve been hacked because of their employee’s mobile device. Simply put, the answer to our title question is a resounding “yes.”
One key problem that stoked this fire is the substantial underestimation of just how widespread mobile employees have become. When the study looked at an organization-managed dataset like customer records, on average, IT believed that 19 percent of employees could access those records via mobile while 43 percent of employees say they have access to that data. This huge imbalance is made uglier when one realizes that 3 percent of employees’ mobile devices are infected with some form of malware at any point in time. Malware mixed with unexpected access is a potential recipe for disaster.
We’ve advocated strongly for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) security measures and policies, but a shocking number of organizations have not heeded the risk and may not even be aware of consequences that are building right under their noses. Between adopting a BYOD policy and assessments of security risks, your organization can minimize threats while continuing the productivity gains we all enjoy from our mobile devices.
For help securing your company’s data and establishing best practices for mobile device management, please contact Superior Technology at 845-735-3555 or online at www.superiortechnology.com.
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