Security is ever evolving

Security has always been (and always will be) a major concern when it comes to BYOD, and the threats will always be evolving. The biggest concerns stem from user behavior, with users losing devices being one big concern. Verizon reports that more than 90% of security incidents involving lost or stolen devices resulted in an unauthorized data breach, and 42% involved the leaking of internal data. Another big concern is users falling prey to malicious actors: falling for phishing schemes, downloading malware, allowing corporate data to be placed in public spaces, or letting others use their devices.

Devices themselves can be major targets, with attacks coming from different directions like public Wi-Fi, malicious apps or apps that are not designed to safeguard data properly, OS and network vulnerabilities, and so on. Supporting infrastructure can also be a weak point.

These threats are real. Research by JumpCloud indicates that 20% of businesses have seen malware as a result of unmanaged devices, and nearly half aren’t able to tell if unmanaged devices have compromised their security. Cybersecurity Insiders research shows a similar statistic of 22%, while also noting that 22% of BYOD devices have connected to malicious wireless networks.