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BYOD Cybersecurity

Solution on how to secure BYOD devices.
Today, more and more people have an in-home set up to work from home or use their personal technology for work purposes.

There is a new norm in our society when it comes to professionalism and technology. Today, more and more people have an in-home set up to work from home or use their personal technology for work purposes. With working from home or working away from the office, it is vital to stay on top of work organization and operation. You may still be working on projects even though you are not spending your work time behind your office desk. Trava has you covered during these times with their BYOD Cybersecurity Policy.

What is BYOD, you may wonder? When you hear “BYOD”, you may immediately think of the acronym for “bring your own drinks.” However, at Trava, that acronym instead stands for “bring your own device”. Any device that you use, whether it is a personal computer, cellphone, or tablet can be categorized as BYOD meaning that it is important to have them covered when you are utilizing them for work purposes. BOYD cyber security policies have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic started and they serve to protect devices that have multipurpose-use devices that have both personal and professional information attached to them.

Trava provides a solution on how to secure BYOD devices. Anyone can benefit from a policy that protects BYOD. Advantages and disadvantages mainly come from using BYOD itself and the purposes they are used for. While, yes, BYOD allows for flexibility and comfort for one using their own device for both work and personal purposes, there can also be quite a bit of confusion caused because of it. Personal, private information can be stored in the same place as sensitive work information, such as special projects or consumer’s private information. One of the biggest disadvantages to BYOD is the increased threat of cyber security threats. This is why a policy that supports BYOD is so important.

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BYOD Cybersecurity Threats

As Trava describes in the outline of their BYOD coverage policy, “Determining exactly where and how mobile devices are necessary is an initial BYOD security challenge for organizations when implementing security policies. This involves a preliminary risk analysis on which data needs to be accessed using BYOD devices. Difficulty arises when employees’ personal data is accessed and controlled on the same device”. That can be difficult to do, however, because of the multitude of devices that may be under a business’s umbrella of usage. Along with that aspect of BYOD, privacy concerns also occur. BYOD cyber security threats can compromise both personal information and a business’ overall cyber safety.

It is important to consider the amount of data security is needed to cover all devices under the umbrella of usage by any and all employees, whether provided by the business or those that employees provide on their own. One of the biggest concerns is BYOD threats and vulnerabilities that directly affect that device. This can involve major cybersecurity threats such as malware, ransomware, and others. This can be especially true for employees that do multiple roles under their position or are sharing information with a large multitude of their co-workers.

Ways to assist with this are to take a risk assessment of your company, and making sure BYOD devices are included in the assessment. You can also work to limit the amount of personal devices used if there is technology provided by the company itself. These limitations can then extend to time limits, access to resources, and others. It is important to research as well, so explore other businesses’ BYOD security policy examples to make sure you are on the right track. You can also do this by booking a demo with Trava!

BYOD Security Best Practices

As previously mentioned, BYOD security risks coincide with the use of BYOD device use. If you allow for BYOD use within your organization, it is important to recognize the best practices to ensure the safety and security of your business’ information. Looking into BYOD security policy examples is a good practice to both gather information and help create your own policy for your business. However, it is also important to acknowledge the needs of your company. A BYOD policy for small businesses will look vastly different from a policy for a Fortune 500 company.

The most important thing to look into regarding BYOD policy is NIST. NIST, or the National Institute of Standards and Technology, works to continuously update guidelines on cybersecurity. They can help form guidelines for the standards you want to implement in your BYOD policy. NIST describes their main goal as being able “to provide an example solution that helps organizations use both a standards-based approach and commercially available technologies to help meet their security and privacy needs when permitting personally-owned mobile devices to access enterprise resources.” They even have an entire article on the topic published and is accessible through the link in the sources section.

In general, some good practices to have in mind include are the following:

  • Establish security policies for all BYOD devices—before you give employees the freedom to access company resources from anywhere, set stringent security guidelines
  • Define acceptable use guidelines
  • Use a mobile device management (MDM) software
  • Communicate BYOD policies to all parties
  • Set up an employee exit plan to protect organization data

These strategies can save you time, stress, and overall the possible risk of an unwanted information leak or cyber security threat. Having this coincide with already established cybersecurity policies will help create a more secure cyber environment.

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BYOD Policy

As discussed prior, having a bring your own device policy can assist in managing your overall cybersecurity risk and keeping your private information secure. A BYOD policy can also maintain accountability for your team on how information is accessed, shared, and handled overall. However, how can you implement this kind of policy? What are some BYOD policy best practices? Is it necessary to have a BYOD policy? NIST says yes, and can be a good tool for creating a BYOD policy template. This can be done through Enterprise Mobility Management.

As NIST explains, “ Organizations use EMM solutions to secure the mobile devices of users who are authorized to access organizational resources. Such solutions generally have two main components. The first is a backend service that mobile administrators use to manage the policies, configurations, and security actions applied to registered mobile devices. The second is an on-device agent, usually in the form of a mobile application, that integrates between the mobile OS and the solution’s backend service.” They continue by explaining, “The organization can use policy compliance data to inform its access control decisions so that it grants access only to a device that demonstrates the mandated level of compliance with the security policies in place.”

Having a BYOD policy for a small business is just as important as having one for a Fortune 500 company. A great resource for creating this policy or exploring BYOD policy templates is the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, or NCCoE. They work hand in hand with NIST to document and connect potential solutions for BYOD cybersecurity threats. By ensuring that your small business is protected, you are ensuring the longevity of your organization and securing your personal work that you have invested into this business.

BYOD Risk Assessment

A BYOD risk assessment can help navigate any policy creation and management you may be considering when implementing a BYOD policy. Ensure that all employees abide by the policies that are set, and have them follow a BYOD risk assessment checklist. Make sure they know their devices, establish the ground rules with them using their own devices, lock-down your company’s data, and vet apps that are unnecessary or could have potential risk. You may want to also consider implementing cybersecurity training for employees if you don’t currently have such training in place. This will ensure you follow BYOD security best practices as closely as possible.

A risk assessment can lower BYOD security risks that could potentially arise when multiple people are accessing the same information through their personal devices. If you already allow employees to use their personal devices for work purposes, you are creating a heightened risk of a cyberattack and losing valuable information and data. Ways to better protect your company and its information is to have a BYOD policy in place that coincides with any cybersecurity policies and training that you already have implemented.

NIST provides a walkthrough on how to conduct a full risk assessment and provides BYOD policy examples for when you finish conducting your assessment. Make sure the policies outline specific concerns that you have with people who are allowed to BYOD. Privacy concerns should always be a priority when making these considerations. You can book a demo with Trava, who can assist you in going through your risk assessment and/or creating a BYOD policy for you and your organization. Book your Trava demo today!

Sources