Electronic device surge could present new security threat

A new online threat has been identified, with a mass of newly attained tablets, smartphones, and other electronic devices at work, all capable of being hacked.

With Christmas and New Year still fresh in the mind, the last few weeks have seen  millions invested in various gadgets, which means that firms without sufficient BYOD or network protection are expected to more susceptible to cyber criminals targeting employee owned devices.

A survey conducted by EY Global Information Security has revealed that just 41% of firms planned to raise their expenditure on mobile security. This contrasts with 84% of those who believe mobile security is a medium-to-high priority.

EY’s Cybercrime Investigations director, Massimo Cotrozzi, said even though we are still only very early in the year, there have already been incidents occurring as a result of firms being vulnerable to this new issue. He explained:

“The new smart mobile/tablet and wearable tech that employees bring into the office could be now connecting via the corporate wireless networks to external cloud systems which, in the best case, have not been appropriately protected, let alone tested.”

He went on to say that organisations are poorly prepared and that they could potentially be standing by while cyber criminals are accessing their systems through employee devices.

Businesses certainly need to be vigilant when it comes to enforcing rules on such devices. They also need to ensure that they protect themselves by promoting cybersecurity jobs so that they are prepared in the event of hacking incidents, whether through employee devices or otherwise.