Page 29 - Cyber Defense eMagazine for July 2020

3 Practices to Avoid Security Risk in A Work from Home

World

By Akshay Bhargava, Chief Product Officer, Malwarebytes

Well before COVID-19 hastened people working from home, users embraced “bring your own device”
(BYOD) practices. It created a proliferation of work-connected personal mobile devices that have become
a regular part of our workplace fabric. But today, as the workplace has shifted to our homes, employees
are now practicing a “use your own device” (UYOD) approach which means even more personal devices
are connecting to company networks.

Like BYOD, UYOD, enables employees to be connected to work when they want, and over any device
they have on hand – empowering them with the flexibility and access they need to work, at home. But
one concern still prevails: how to ensure proper security protocols are set and stringently followed in
order to provide the same level of security that corporate-owned devices bring.

The COVID-19 phenomenon brings personal endpoint device security concerns, once again, to the
forefront. Undoubtedly these personal devices come with a wide range of risk: while some diligent
employees may fastidiously follow security protocols, others that don’t take cybersecurity threats as
seriously will inadvertently expose their devices to bad actors. This uneven security posture comes at a
time when research shows the volume of global threats against business endpoints has increased by 13
percent year-over-year. From an increase in enterprise-focused threats to the diversification of
sophisticated hacking and stealth techniques, cybercrime is clearly targeting organizations with
increasing vengeance. And working from home on personal devices further elevates this risk.

Cyber Defense eMagazine –July 2020 Edition 29
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