How many electronic devices are you juggling between your personal life and workplace? How many devices do you really need to maintain an ethical, practical, and user-friendly balance between the two? If you are a single device user for the sake of convenience and blur the work and personal lines, you could be a serious cyber security risk.
Based on the recent risk evaluation we have performed for new clients, a stunning percentage of organizations do not even consider this risk. Many have no policies addressing personal devices or installing personal software on organizations’ devices. The ones who do have policies often have policies that are too vague or go unenforced.
Why is it important to maintain separate devices?
- Security weaknesses. Personal browsing or downloads can introduce malware or viruses that could infiltrate your work network.
- Data exposure. Work devices contain sensitive information. For example, if your personal browsing habits take you to a phishing site, work data could be exposed.
- IT monitoring. Many companies’ IT teams monitor work device activity, so all your browsing, business and personal, can be seen by your employer.
- Privacy concerns. Even if your employer isn’t directly monitoring your device, you might not want them to have access to your personal information.
Lunch break personal browsing, even for that innocent birthday gift, can unwittingly open the door to malware or viruses. That malicious website you visited for a minute could attack your work network. Data breaches, workplace disruption, and chaos could follow.
Phishing attacks are increasing in both sophistication and volume. Using that work device for personal browsing dramatically increases the odds of encountering phishing. You could be unwittingly revealing sensitive information like login credentials that grant unauthorized access to work email, business documents, and even the whole company network.
This is why many companies have policies and protocols allowing them to monitor activity on work devices. This will include browsing history, emails, and downloads. Beyond ensuring network security, companies are tracking productivity and use of company resources. Someone is essentially looking over your shoulder and seeing your browsing history, online purchases, and social media interactions.
If you value your privacy, do not use your work devices for personal matters. Even if your company doesn’t actively monitor work devices, there are inherent privacy concerns. Depending on your company, the consequences for your career could be dire, even if you haven’t caused a costly data breach.
The solution is simple. NEVER use your work device for personal matters; NEVER use your personal device for business purposes. This is the best way to maintain company cyber security AND your personal privacy. Think twice when you reach for that device. Is this business or personal? Choose the device accordingly. Don’t sacrifice security and privacy for a few moments of convenience.
Commonwealth Sentinel can help your organization develop policies and training to ensure your policies and procedures are followed and meet compliance requirements for your industry and cyber insurance. Sign up for a free consultation today by clicking here or contact us by calling 502-320-9885.