TMCnet News
BYOD security, support still lacking [ITWeb](ITWeb Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) BYOD allows users to mix and match personal and business data, says Doros Hadjizenonos, SA sales manager at Check Point. Many organisations are facing challenges with securing and supporting bring your own device (BYOD), highlighting the need for more robust security solutions for personal devices tied to the corporate network. That was one of the biggest findings in Check Point Software Technologies' third mobile security report, based on a survey of over 700 IT professionals. In the survey, 95% of the respondents revealed BYOD is presenting them with challenges. The report highlights the ongoing concern at the ease of transporting sensitive corporate information outside of managed environments, and details the potential mobile security threats due to lack of employees' security awareness or training. BYOD allows users to mix and match personal and business data, says Doros Hadjizenonos, SA sales manager at Check Point. "This enablement also brings security concerns of data loss and threats. For example, uploading business data in a non-secure way to cloud apps such as Dropbox and Evernote; losing the device; or getting infected with malware and then infecting other sources inside the organisation," Hadjizenonos says. In order to mitigate the risks presented by BYOD, he says organisations need to adopt a multi-layer security solution to enable a safe mobile experience. "Protect documents by encrypting them in a seamless way and allowing only authorised users to access them," says Hadjizenonos. "By doing that, any document – on a mobile device or on the Internet (eg on Dropbox) – is protected and encrypted. "Enable a secure business environment on smartphones and tablets. This environment is separated from the personal one and encrypted – so business data is segmented and protected. Protect mobile devices from threats by inspecting their traffic over the Internet and prevent malware from entering the device." The survey also discovered Android continues to be perceived as having the greatest security risks compared to those of Apple, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry. Android risks increased from 49% in 2013 to 64% this year. Hadjizenonos says though the Android OS is risky, companies should still make use of the platform. "Organisations can't ignore popular mobile operating systems, and should allow them in, but they should follow up on security 'best practices' to minimise the risk of losing data." The report also found the greatest threat resides within your organisation – 87% of surveyed professionals believed the greater security threat to mobile devices were careless employees. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents believe recent high-profile breaches of customer data were likely due to employee carelessness. It also notes mobile security incidents are expected to rise. It says 2015 is shaping up to be a risky year, according to those surveyed. Of the security professionals surveyed this year, 82% expect the number of security incidents to grow in 2015. Additionally, nearly all of the respondents (98%) expressed concern about the impact of a mobile security incident, with the greatest concern being the potential for lost and stolen information. The cost of mobile security incidents will continue to rise, says Check Point, explaining 2014 saw an increase in remediation costs for mobile security incidents. Of the IT executives surveyed, 42% claimed mobile security incidents cost their organisations more than $250 000 (R2.7 million). (c) 2014 ITWeb Limited. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |