Page 46 - Payout Magazine Online Volume 9.1

Cyber Risks The risks associated with a Bring Your Own Device policy
for Workplace hasn’t stopped companies from taking advantage of the many
benefits BYOD brings. However, despite the versatility of allowing
BYOD Policies employees to use their own devices at work, or remotely at home,
there are security challenges which need to be overcome to
maintain a safe but also convenient working environment.

Every organization will have different requirements, meaning a
BYOD policy will be unique to a company’s situation. When BYOD
first became a reality, employees loved the idea of working with
devices with which they were familiar. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long
before every device used for work became a potential target for
hackers and a back door towards gaining access to mission-
critical corporate data.

The Cisco Annual Report reveals that the majority of IT
managers favor BYOD policies in the workplace. The extra
productivity equates to each worker saving approximately 81
minutes per week when using their own devices - a significant
number when factored into an organization with hundreds of
employees.

However, careful consideration when developing policies and
procedures is needed to ensure a BYOD policy does not put the
company or its employees at risk from cyber-attacks. Here are
the top security challenges faced by organizations when adopting
a BYOD policy.

1. Neglecting Password Protection

Many users will opt out of adding a secure login to their
devices because having to type in a password every time they
use the device is deemed inconvenient or an annoyance.

Even when passwords are used, however, they are often
simple and easy for hackers to brute force their way through.

Naturally, devices without secure passwords are easily
compromised and create one of the most common security risks
for BYOD.

2. Downloading Malicious Apps

In November 2018, Google released a list of 13 malicious
malware apps it had discovered in the Google Play Store. While
Google has removed the offending apps, there are many phones
which will have them installed still.

Unfortunately, this sort of activity is happening every day, with
Google mostly playing catch up because they are unable to stop
the practice altogether.

Malicious apps can take over a device and transmit information
such as passwords, account details, and sensitive company data.

The most common type of malware found on mobile devices
are ‘free versions,” which have embedded code that allow an
unauthorized person to use the phone remotely for their own

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