Back in 2011, the United States Department of Homeland Security conducted an experiment to see just how well its employees handled themselves with their systems. For this experiment, they dropped a number of flash drives and discs in the DHS parking lot, some of which had official logos on them. These flash drives and discs contained software that was able to install itself on their computers and potentially take advantage of the system. It turned out the employees weren’t too careful. Around 60% of the media without logos were inserted into computers, and around 90% with logos were. The conclusion? Human error is the biggest security flaw any company can have. The good news is, it’s preventable.
Many employees can benefit immensely from a BYOD policy since it permits them to use devices that they’re more comfortable with, which helps boost morale and productivity. The downside to such a policy, however, is the aforementioned security risk. Hooking into a public network, especially if it’s unsecured, makes computers vulnerable. This is an even bigger problem if those devices hold company secrets.
Fortunately, it’s an easy problem to fix. Regular reminders not to plug in unknown media, usually in the form of company newsletters or emails would go a long way to prevent these problems. Securing a company network with a password prevents unauthorized entry. Covert monitoring of a network can help ensure that all devices on a network are used for business, as well as keeping out malicious users. A policy of regular malware sweeps on personal devices brought in for work will keep most malicious software out of the network.
To get set up with a monitoring service or to learn more about how to secure your office network, contact us today at Kotori Technologies.