The best way to prevent a malicious actors from being able to hack into a system is to take steps that can help keep you safe. This is something that most companies are aware because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up taking the onus away from employees as long as they use software and programs that have already been vetted and declared as safe as can be.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the practice of Shadow IT usage is something that can hamper efforts to keep cyber attacks at bay. Shadow IT is basically any kind of app or software that employees use for official communications or even personal ones that have not been thoroughly tested by the IT team that has been hired by the company in question. Hence, using such programs can make it easier for malicious actors to conduct their numerous digital attacks.
A new report from KnowBe4 shows how rampant Shadow IT practices currently are. Even something as simple as using WhatsApp can be considered a Shadow IT practice because companies can’t encrypt these messages and maintain control over them with all things having been considered and taken into account. Education and government organizations in Asia and Oceania were found to use these practices 42.8% and 33.4% of the time respectively, and this is especially concerning since governmental institutions need to be particularly careful because they are dealing with things that could be harmful if they fall into the wrong hands.
One more thing that you should note is that Latin American and Africa tends to do a lot better in this regard. For one thing, only 20% of organizations in these locales admitted to using shadow IT practices, and that means that they are considerably more secure than their Asian and Oceania based counterparts. This practice needs to be stamped out as soon as possible lest it lead to widespread attacks that would not be stopped to any extent whatsoever.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the practice of Shadow IT usage is something that can hamper efforts to keep cyber attacks at bay. Shadow IT is basically any kind of app or software that employees use for official communications or even personal ones that have not been thoroughly tested by the IT team that has been hired by the company in question. Hence, using such programs can make it easier for malicious actors to conduct their numerous digital attacks.
A new report from KnowBe4 shows how rampant Shadow IT practices currently are. Even something as simple as using WhatsApp can be considered a Shadow IT practice because companies can’t encrypt these messages and maintain control over them with all things having been considered and taken into account. Education and government organizations in Asia and Oceania were found to use these practices 42.8% and 33.4% of the time respectively, and this is especially concerning since governmental institutions need to be particularly careful because they are dealing with things that could be harmful if they fall into the wrong hands.
One more thing that you should note is that Latin American and Africa tends to do a lot better in this regard. For one thing, only 20% of organizations in these locales admitted to using shadow IT practices, and that means that they are considerably more secure than their Asian and Oceania based counterparts. This practice needs to be stamped out as soon as possible lest it lead to widespread attacks that would not be stopped to any extent whatsoever.