Last updated on March 28, 2024
Back when people worked at the office, the security perimeter was well-defined, and employees used devices owned by the company. But then came the pandemic. Millions of employees found themselves working from home, often using their own devices to connect to the corporate network. The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy became more popular than ever, allowing employees to use personal devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones to access confidential company data, resources, and applications. The new hybrid work model is here to stay. But many people do not realize the BYOD risks it entails.
What Are the Top 5 BYOD Risks?
BYOD was an innovation that made life much easier for employees. Unfortunately, it also made life easier for hackers. Here are the top 5 BYOD security risks.
1. Data Theft
Improper management of a personal device can lead to a malicious actor compromising a poorly-secured application on the personal device of your employee. Even if the compromised application is not related to work, the bad guys can use the hacked application as a pivot to take over the phone. This may eventually lead to the attacker gaining access to the corporate network and stealing private corporate data.
2. Malware and Ransomware Infection
When using their device privately, an employee may download a file infected with malware or ransomware. When they next log in to the company network, the malicious software may spread onto the corporate network and infect other devices and files in the company.
3. Lost and Stolen Devices
An adversary can use an employee’s lost or stolen personal device to gain unauthorized access to the corporate network and classified data. This scenario is even more likely (and frightening) if an untrained employee sets their password to be remembered or writes it down somewhere on their phone in plain text.
4. Untrained Employees
Security awareness training is a good idea for all companies, regardless of industry. The least you can do is inform your employees about the risks of using their own devices in a distributed workforce. But we highly recommend an overall sophisticated cybersecurity training. Untrained employees are more likely to click on suspect links, set a poor password, fall victim to social engineering attacks, or endanger the company to financial and reputational loss in multiple other ways.
5. Unsecured Networks
If employees use unsecured VPNs to connect to the corporate network, breaking the password gives an attacker a leeway to access the company network. Suppose the company has not adopted Zero Trust. Once inside the network, the malicious actor can laterally move between applications, stealing or encrypting data to later ask for a ransom. Securing your VPN is as important as securing your applications and remote connections.
How Can 2FA Prevent BYOD Risks?
Set up mandatory Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) or Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all your employees without exceptions to significantly improve your organization’s security. Here’s how 2FA drastically decreases the likelihood of a successful cybersecurity attack.
To mitigate BYOD Risks, Two Factor-Authentication (2FA):
- Stops Unauthorized Access and Data Theft
- Protects You Against Malware and Ransomware
- Gives You Ways to Deactivate Devices
- Mitigates Human Error
- Secures Networks, VPNs, and Applications
1. 2FA Stops Unauthorized Access and Data Theft
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) introduces an extra layer of security to user authentication. After providing correct credentials, users must accept a Mobile Push authentication request or press their WebAuhn/U2F Security Key to gain access to their account. If the user does not complete the extra authentication step, they will not gain access to their account. To succeed, a hacker must break both the password and the second, more secure authentication method. While still somewhat feasible, hacking MFA is not as easy as breaking a password and often requires a lot of time, luck, and technical knowledge.
2. 2FA Protects You Against Malware and Ransomware
While 2FA cannot stop users from downloading malware or ransomware-infected files, an excellent Two-Factor Authentication solution can stop ransomware from spreading onto the corporate network. To infect a network, a malicious actor needs to gain access to that network. MFA and 2FA thwart hackers at the threshold of your company and keep them away from your files. If hackers cannot access your files, they cannot infect them with malware or ransomware. Unless the user opens an infected link, of course. But that is why you need to train your employees.
3. 2FA Gives You Ways to Deactivate Devices
If your device gets lost or stolen, an excellent Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) solution should allow you or your administrators to immediately deactivate that device so that hackers cannot use it to access your account. A common misconception about 2FA is that it is just the additional authentication factor. In reality, modern 2FA systems are sophisticated identity and access control systems that are highly adaptive and customizable. For example, an excellent 2FA system is one that gives you visibility into the devices your employees use. And allows you to deactivate a device at will, of course.
4. 2FA Mitigates Human Error
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) cannot stop a user from making a mistake. But a good 2FA solution can mitigate the likelihood of a mistake. With 2FA, the user has to go through two authentication steps instead of one. This requires the fraudster to get to know more information and break two authentication factors if they want to access the user’s account. While several 2FA methods are prone to phishing attacks, some Two-Factor Authentication methods, such as WebAuthn/U2F Security Key, are phishing-resistant, significantly reducing the chances of unauthorized access.
5. 2FA Secures Networks, VPNs, and Applications
Most cyberattacks start from the hacker finding a weak, unprotected application or network. Hackers access one resource and then use it to target other resources until they achieve what they want. The initial access to the corporate network, privileged access account, administrative account, or essential application is crucial for the success of most cyberattacks. 2FA deployed on the entirety of your critical infrastructure thwarts the attackers before they get initial access to your network.
Turn on 2FA For All Your Employees to Mitigate BYOD Risks
Remote work is here to stay, and a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy can increase the productivity and comfort of your employees. However, it is crucial to realize the risks associated with BYOD and take steps to safeguard your workforce against unauthorized access stemming from employees’ personal devices.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) can help obviate BYOD risks and strengthen your overall security posture in 2022.
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