BYOD Security Best Practices

Bring Your Own Device, better known as BYOD, is when employees can use their personal devices on a company’s network to complete their work tasks. Companies sometimes prefer their employees to use their own devices because they save money on providing technology and resources. Despite this financial benefit, companies should recognize the security risks BYOD can bring to their employees and organizations.

The best practices to follow for BYOD include creating a security policy, having employees use a password manager and keeping personal and business information separate.

Read on to learn more about BYOD security risks and the best practices for companies to safely enforce BYOD.

BYOD security risks

Although there are many benefits to letting employees use their own devices, your company might face several security risks as a result.

Employees could lose their device

Since employees who use their personal devices for work purposes take their devices outside of the office, they could lose their devices or even have them stolen. Allowing BYOD devices means that if employees misplace their devices, there is the possibility confidential information can be lost or stolen.

A business could have their data lost or stolen

Leaked confidential information from a lost or stolen device could end up in the hands of competitors or cybercriminals. A lost or stolen device increases the chances of data leaks, leading to mistrust from customers and other employees.

Malware infections are more likely to occur

There is also an increased chance of malware infections on BYOD devices since employees will be less cautious and have fewer restrictions about what they download on their personal devices compared to a company-issued device. If an employee downloads a third-party app or clicks on an unsafe website at home on their personal device but then uses that same device at work, malware could infect your employee’s device and then the corporate network.

Data could be leaked due to shadow IT

Shadow IT is software used by an employee without the approval of a company’s IT department. Since a BYOD workplace knows its employees use their devices at home as well as at work, employees could use apps or software that might go against their company’s IT safety standards. Shadow IT could increase your company’s vulnerability to cyber attacks because bypassing your company’s IT department will likely lead to data breaches if an employee’s credentials are compromised as a result of third-party software.

Security best practices for BYOD

Considering the security risks of a BYOD work environment, it may not sound like a safe thing to allow. However, there are ways for your company and employees to bring their personal devices into the workplace safely. Here are 10 of the best security practices for BYOD.

Create a BYOD security policy

The first thing a company should do before allowing BYOD is to establish a security policy. Your BYOD security policy should clarify which apps or software are acceptable for employees to use on their personal devices during the work day. This policy should also include what the company is responsible for on an employee’s device, such as remotely erasing all data if it is lost or stolen or installing necessary software for work purposes. Your company’s policy should discuss the dangers of downloading apps or software from third-party sources and what security measures the company expects an employee to practice. This policy should also require company employees to register their devices with the IT department so they can have an updated record of authorized devices.

Regularly audit employee devices

Get into the habit of regularly auditing your employees’ devices to make sure everyone is following the BYOD security policy. During these audits, you should check each device’s latest Operating System (OS) for updates, confirm that only authorized apps are installed and verify that security software is working properly.

Have employees use a business password manager

Every company should provide a business password manager to their employees so they protect and store their login credentials, and access them from any device. A business password manager like Keeper^® can create strong and unique passwords, store them in a secure vault for each employee and make onboarding and offboarding an easy process for administrators. It is especially important for an organization supporting a BYOD environment to enforce a password manager because employees should separate their personal and business login credentials.

Imagine this scenario: a disgruntled social media manager left their job but still has access to the company’s social media platforms. If your company uses a business password manager, you can update all social media passwords, remove the former employee’s access immediately and limit current employees’ access with Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC). 

Implement mandatory authentication measures

If your company uses a password manager, you can enforce password security policies to authenticate an employee’s identity. You can do this effectively by mandating a minimum character length on company passwords and requiring Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on company-related accounts. MFA requires an individual to give an additional form of authentication before accessing an account in the form of a PIN, a code from an authenticator app, a fingerprint scan and more. In a company setting, requiring employees to use MFA is fundamental in securing online accounts and employee’s private information.

Educate employees on security awareness

Your employees need to understand the security risks associated with BYOD and cyber attacks in general. Educate your employees on online dangers they should be aware of, such as phishing. Take it a step further and run simulated phishing tests to see how employees respond. Once employees understand the potential cybersecurity risks, they will be better equipped to protect their own information and company information from cybercriminals. Many tools could help educate employees about cybersecurity like KnowBe4.

Employ least-privilege access

Least-privilege access limits unnecessary privileges for your employees, giving them access to what they need for their roles. This is a strong security practice for your organization to employ because if a data breach occurs, cybercriminals will have limited access to company resources and information. For example, an employee in marketing would not need the same access to passwords and spreadsheets as someone in engineering within the same company. By giving your employees the least amount of access needed to do their jobs, you protect internal assets and reduce the impact of any breaches.

Keep personal and business data separate

Since the entire point of BYOD is for employees to use their personal devices for their jobs, it is essential to separate personal and work-related data. Advise your employees to use data segregation methods to keep business data separated from personal files, which will limit the risk of data leaks between the two.

Require the use of a VPN or remote access solution

Another great way to keep personal and business data separate is by requiring employees to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or remote access solution to work. When your employees work using a VPN, this protects their privacy by encrypting their internet connection. Your employees need to use VPNs if your organization allows them to work remotely, since there may be multiple devices on one network or your employee might be working on public WiFi.

However, VPNs are expensive, complex and require ongoing maintenance. A strong alternative to a VPN is Remote Browser Isolation (RBI). RBI is an add-on feature of Keeper Connection Manager, which ensures a private network experience without needing a VPN. It is a cloud-based service that isolates web browsing activities and minimizes cybersecurity threats by working in a remote and controlled environment.

Prohibit employees from downloading unapproved apps

It may be hard to prohibit employees from downloading unapproved apps on personal devices. However, apps that aren’t run past or approved by a company’s IT department risk containing malware that could infect other devices on the company’s network. Employees should never jailbreak their device, which is when someone bypasses the Operating System (OS) of a device (iOS for Apple, etc.) in order to download applications or software from beyond the device’s approved store. Allowing third-party apps on an employee’s device, even if it is also their personal device, could steal their private information and your company’s confidential data.

Ensure the device’s Operating Systems (OS) remain up to date

Make sure that employees keep their device’s OS up to date. Having the latest version of software on a device ensures that it has the latest bug fixes, new security patches and overall improved performance.

Keep your organization protected against BYOD risks

Maintain a safe environment for your employees by enforcing best security practices for BYOD. If your company allows employees to use their personal devices at and for work, ensure productive security policies are in place and teach your employees how to protect their personal and business data.

Start a free 14-day trial of Keeper Business today to give all your employees their own secure, digital vaults to store their login credentials and private information.