Page 47 - Payout Magazine Online Volume 9.1

ends, such as sending SMS or exporting
sensitive data.
Android, being the most open mobile
operating system is most at risk, but Apple
devices can be corrupted as well under the right
circumstances (see below).
3. OS Security Risks
“Jailbreaking,” and “root,” are popular with
mobile device users because they unlock the
phones capabilities and enable a user to remove
manufacturers’ “bloatware” and configuration
restrictions they may have imposed on the
device.
These procedures also open access to
unauthorized app stores which increases the
risk that malicious code may be downloaded and
executed on the device. Malicious code could be
designed to give remote access to cameras and
microphones, which opens a hotbed of security
issues when unknown persons can access the
phone while it is in a sensitive area.
4. Unencrypted Data Connections
With more and more public Wi-Fi hotspots
opening up across the country more mobile
devices are making themselves vulnerable to
cyber-attacks via man-in-the-middle hacks
eavesdropping over an insecure connection.
Bluetooth connections and other personal area
networks also pose similar risks to the above.
5. Data Loss Through Theft
A 2013 Ernst and Young study, while a
little dated in 2018, tells us that 22% of mobile
devices will be lost or stolen during their lifetime, the company’s security systems and firewalls.
and 50% will never make it back to their rightful
owners.
Of course, we can safely assume that most
of the devices are stolen because of their
cash value, but an increasing number are lifted
because of the value of the data they may
be storing. Personal information, along with
corporate secrets are all at risk as more people
mix their personal life with their business life on
smartphones and tablets.
6. Privacy Protection
A personal device accessing company
networks provides a legal means for
organizations to have access to them. Big
Brother conspiracies abounded when BYOD
started taking off, but the issues have settled
down into concerns about whether companies
have a right to snoop on the personal lives of
their employees.
However, legal experts are almost
unanimous in their agreement that companies
are more concerned with how secure their data
is, rather than wanting to check up on how their
employees are spending their weekends and
days off.
There is definitely a line which shouldn’t be
crossed when it comes to giving organizations
the ability to examine an employee’s private
data - especially when there are apps on the
device which make no distinction between
personal and corporate information. All these
issues will need to be considered when drafting
a BYOD policy.
7. Accidental Deletion
It’s not a big deal when a mobile device
user accidentally deletes the latest Angry Birds
application, but it can be catastrophic if the
data removed happens to be gigabytes of data
residing on the company server.
Cross-contamination is also a genuine
concern should the eventuality arise where the
corporation needs to remotely wipe a device,
which could mean that precious baby photos
are deleted along with the corporate data.
8. Leaky Data
Personal devices create vulnerabilities in the
IT infrastructure as they are not protected by
This challenge is in addition to workers taking
their work with them while on a lunch break
where they then make use of the local fast food
chain’s public Wi-Fi.
Anybody snooping will be able to eavesdrop
on the data and potentially gain access to
confidential or sensitive corporate data.
In Conclusion
There is no doubt that a BYOD policy
can create opportunities for a business to
develop and grow and provide more freedom
for workers. However, it pays to be aware of
the inherent security risks such policies can
introduce to the workplace.
PayOutMagazine 47