Page 11 - Cyber Warnings December 2015

Decrypting the 4 Most Common Enterprise IT Security Myths

By Zoran Adamovic, CEO, HOB GmbH & Co. KG

According to SAP, there are more mobile devices than people on earth. Pew Research Center finds
that 90 percent of people always have a mobile device within reach. A Gartner survey revealed that
by 2017, half of the world’s employers will not supply employees with computing devices;
employees will provide their own devices as the workplace becomes more BYOD-oriented.
Although technology seems to infiltrate every aspect of life, oscillating between personal and
professional use, enterprise IT security is still a concept many are unaware of and, more
importantly, are unsure how to handle.

As cybersecurity risks continue to grow in prevalence and severity, many myths arise about the best
strategies for optimizing an organization’s enterprise security. As such, businesses should take the
steps to understand IT security risks, instead of wrongly heeding many of the enterprise security
myths. Doing so will keep them from misusing resources and implementing ineffective enterprise
security solutions for their specific needs. To help with this, outlined below are four common
security myths, debunked:

MYTH 1: Hacking and malware cause the most data breaches

Although data breaches often have significant impacts and detrimental ramifications, hackers and
malware are not always the cause. In fact, according to Trend Micro and PRC data analyzing
cybersecurity in the last decade, hacking and malware caused only 25 percent of all breaches. The
biggest cause of data breaches, accounting for 41 percent, was device loss or theft.

It’s easy to forget that negligent activity can lead to data breaches. Something as simple as
encouraging employees to use passcodes on their mobile devices, or remotely wiping a device’s
memory if it has been misplaced are easy solutions that can deter corporate data loss, malware and
possible infiltration.

In BYOD workplaces, employees constantly communicate with corporate networks via personal
devices. Because these devices alternate between professional and personal use, and since they
are not tethered to a desk, they have a greater chance of being lost or stolen.

This is why businesses with BYOD policies should implement SSL or IPSec-encrypted secure
remote access solutions. Solutions that facilitate access to corporate networks via a sandboxed
mobile app prevent data from being lost or stolen, as data remain stored in the corporate network
rather than on the device.

MYTH 2: All hackers are computer geniuses

One would like to believe that only geniuses can get past the security systems a company or
individual has implemented, but this is not always the case. Hackers can take many forms. Yes,
11 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – December 2015 Edition
Copyright © Cyber Defense Magazine, All rights reserved worldwide