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How many work and personal devices are you juggling between? How many devices do you 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 our recent risk evaluation for new clients, a stunning percentage of organizations do not even consider the overlap of work and personal devices. Many organizations have no policies for installing personal software on their devices. Those who do have policies often make them too vague or allow them to go unenforced.
Why is it important to maintain separate Work and Personal 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. If your personal browsing habits lead you to a phishing site, your work data could be exposed.
- IT monitoring. Many companies’ IT teams monitor work device activity, so your employer can see all your browsing, business, and personal.
- 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 inadvertently disclosing sensitive information, such as login credentials, that could grant unauthorized access to work email, business documents, and even the entire company network.
This is why many companies have policies and protocols that allow them to monitor activity on work devices, including browsing history, email, and downloads. Beyond ensuring network security, companies are tracking productivity and resource utilization. Someone is 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, and NEVER use your personal device for business purposes. This is the best way to maintain the company’s cyber security and your personal privacy. Think twice before reaching 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 502-234-5554.
At Commonwealth Sentinel, we stay focused on cyber security so you can focus on other things.