A Risk management framework for the BYOD environment

Computer networks in organisations today have different layers of connections, which are either domain connections or external connections. The hybrid network contains the standard domain connections, cloud base connections, “bring your own device” (BYOD) connections, together with the devices and network connections of the Internet of Things (IoT). All these technologies will need to be incorporated in the Oman Vision 2040 strategy, which will involve changing several cities to smart cities. To implement this strategy artificial intelligence, cloud computing, BYOD and IoT will be adopted. This research will focus on the adoption of BYOD in the Oman context. It will have advantages for organisations, such as increasing productivity and reducing costs. However, these benefits come with security risks and privacy concerns, the users being the main contributors of these risks. The aim of this research is to develop a risk management and security framework for the BYOD environment to minimise these risks. The proposed framework is designed to detect and predict the risks by the use of MDM event logs and function logs. The chosen methodology is a combination of both qualitative and quantitative approaches, known as a mixed-methods approach. The approach adopted in this research will identify the latest threats and risks experienced in BYOD environments. This research also investigates the level of user-awareness of BYOD security methods. The proposed framework will enhance the current techniques for risk management by improving risk detection and prediction of threats, as well as, enabling BYOD risk management systems to generate notifications and recommendations of possible preventive/mitigation actions to deal with them

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): Risks to Adopters and Users

Bring your own device (BYOD) policy refers to a set of regulation broadly adopted by organizations that allows employee-owned mobile devices – like as laptops, smartphones, personal digital assistant and tablets – to the office for use and connection to the organizations IT infrastructure. BYOD offers numerous benefits ranging from plummeting organizational logistic cost, access to information at any time and boosting employee’s productivity. On the contrary, this concept presents various safety issues and challenges because of its characteristic security requirements. This study explored diverse literature databases to identify and classify BYOD policy adoption issues, possible control measures and guidelines that could hypothetically inform organizations and users that adopt and implement BYOD policy. The literature domain search yielded 110 articles, 26 of them were deemed to have met the inclusion standards. In this paper, a list of possible threats/vulnerabilities of BYOD adoption were identified. This investigation also identified and classified the impact of the threats/vulnerabilities on BYOD layered components according to security standards of “FIPS Publication 199” for classification. Finally, a checklist of measures that could be applied by organizations & users to mitigate BYOD vulnerabilities using a set layered approach of data, device, applications, and people were recommended

Mitigating the Risk of Knowledge Leakage in Knowledge Intensive Organizations: a Mobile Device Perspective

In the current knowledge economy, knowledge represents the most strategically significant resource of organizations. Knowledge-intensive activities advance innovation and create and sustain economic rent and competitive advantage. In order to sustain competitive advantage, organizations must protect knowledge from leakage to third parties, particularly competitors. However, the number and scale of leakage incidents reported in news media as well as industry whitepapers suggests that modern organizations struggle with the protection of sensitive data and organizational knowledge. The increasing use of mobile devices and technologies by knowledge workers across the organizational perimeter has dramatically increased the attack surface of organizations, and the corresponding level of risk exposure. While much of the literature has focused on technology risks that lead to information leakage, human risks that lead to knowledge leakage are relatively understudied. Further, not much is known about strategies to mitigate the risk of knowledge leakage using mobile devices, especially considering the human aspect. Specifically, this research study identified three gaps in the current literature (1) lack of in-depth studies that provide specific strategies for knowledge-intensive organizations based on their varied risk levels. Most of the analysed studies provide high-level strategies that are presented in a generalised manner and fail to identify specific strategies for different organizations and risk levels. (2) lack of research into management of knowledge in the context of mobile devices. And (3) lack of research into the tacit dimension of knowledge as the majority of the literature focuses on formal and informal strategies to protect explicit (codified) knowledge.Comment: The University of Melbourne PhD Thesi

BYOD: Risk considerations in a South African organisation

In recent times, while numerous organisations have difficulty keeping abreast with the frequent year-on-year technology changes, their employees on the other hand, continue to bring their personal devices to work to more readily access organisational data. This concept is known as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Studies have demonstrated that the introduction of BYOD commonly has a positive effect on both organisation and employees: increased optimism, job satisfaction and productivity are some of the perceived positive effects. Furthermore, BYOD can improve employees’ opportunities for mobile working and assist with the work flexibility they seek. This phenomenon, however, is still not well understood. In the South African context, this refers particularly to an inadequate understanding of risks associated with the introduction of BYOD into organisations. Some of the risks associated with this phenomenon are, for instance, related to information security, legislation and privacy issues. Hence, the intention of this research was to investigate, determine and assess BYOD risk considerations in a South African organisation. Using the available literature on this subject and an interpretative exploratory case study approach, this research explored various facets of BYOD-related risks (e.g. implementational, technological, legislation, regulation and privacy risks, human aspects and organisational concerns) as well as the impact these risks may have on both employees and an organisation. The organisation under investigation – from this point onward referred to as “Organisation A” – is a South African based information technology (IT) security consulting and service management organisation, which has seen increased expansion in its business and thus an increase in the number of its employees utilising their personal devices at the workplace. Even so, Organisation A was uncertain regarding possible risks that might hinder benefits of BYOD. Hence, this researcher defined the main research question as “What are the risks of introducing the BYOD in the South African organisation and what is an effective approach to address identified risks?”. The main objective was to identify and describe BYOD-related risks and to propose an appropriate model for addressing these risks. To answer the main research question, this researcher reviewed the applicable literature on the BYOD, including the limited South African literature pertaining to the subject. The review elicited the most common BYOD-related risks but also some models, frameworks and standards that may be applied for addressing these risks. Based on these revelations, an applicable BYOD risk management model was created and proposed. The literature review findings were subsequently tested in the empirical setting (in Organisation A) by conducting comprehensive interviews with research participants. This research adopted a qualitative approach in general and a case study methodology in particular. The collected data were analysed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), which aided in providing a comprehensive understanding of the interviewees’ responses regarding the BYOD risks. The interviewees were selected based on a purposeful (pre-defined) sampling. The results of this interpretative research suggest that the interviewees’ responses are closely aligned with the information on BYOD risks collected from the pertinent literature. The results show that successful introduction and usage of BYOD in the studied organisation requires the implementation of mixed risk management measures: technological (e.g. mobile device management and its additional components), non-technological (e.g. IT or BYOD security policies), the usage of general risk management frameworks (e.g. ISO 27001), the development of an organisational security culture and skilling of the human factor (e.g. employee awareness, training and education, for example). Additionally, it was found that participation of employees in the development of BYOD policies is an essential and effective tactic for transforming a fragile BYOD risk link (i.e. employees) into a strong risk prevention mechanism. Furthermore, this research also revealed that in the South African context, it is important that an organisation’s BYOD security policies are sound, preferably meeting the POPI Act requirements and thereby avoiding legislation risks. The contribution of this research is twofold: first academic, and second, practical. The academic contribution is realised by adding to the body of knowledge on the BYOD risks – most particularly in terms of understanding potential risks when introducing BYOD in the South African context. The practical contribution manifests through the provision of detailed risk considerations and mitigation guidelines for organisations wishing to introduce BYOD practices or considering ways to improve their current BYOD risk management strategy. It is acknowledged that this research has some limitations, particularly in regard to the limited generalisation of the findings due to the limited sample provided by only one organisation. Although the results are not necessarily applicable to other South African organisations, these limitations did not impact the relevance and validity of this research

Navigating Legal Implications: The Impact of Enhanced Smartphone Integration on Security in Organizational Networks

The escalating integration of smartphones within organizational frameworks has been driven by their augmented functionality, especially pertinent during the global pandemic. However, this surge in device utilization has concurrently amplified concerns surrounding security, as sensitive data becomes increasingly susceptible. In this context, the study conducted a survey to assess the security implications of smartphone integration while considering the legal aspects. The findings unequivocally substantiate the notion that smartphones pose substantial security risks, particularly when users stray from established protocols, potentially leading to legal consequences. Drawing from prior research emphasizing mobile devices' vulnerability, we advocate for a preemptive legal stance, suggesting the installation of anti-malware software on smartphones as a legally sound countermeasure. By doing so, organizations can thwart potential hacking endeavors, thereby not only fortifying network security but also mitigating legal liabilities and shielding sensitive information in compliance with relevant regulations. The implications of this study extend to organizational management and legal teams, enabling them to enact effective policies that reinforce network security and adhere to evolving legal challenges. This research underscores the significance of striking a balance between technological integration and safeguarding confidentiality within the boundaries of the law, offering essential insights for organizational resilience in an increasingly digitized landscape while avoiding legal pitfalls

Overcoming Data Breaches and Human Factors in Minimizing Threats to Cyber-Security Ecosystems

This mixed-methods study focused on the internal human factors responsible for data breaches that could cause adverse impacts on organizations. Based on the Swiss cheese theory, the study was designed to examine preventative measures that managers could implement to minimize potential data breaches resulting from internal employees\u27 behaviors. The purpose of this study was to provide insight to managers about developing strategies that could prevent data breaches from cyber-threats by focusing on the specific internal human factors responsible for data breaches, the root causes, and the preventive measures that could minimize threats from internal employees. Data were collected from 10 managers and 12 employees from the business sector, and 5 government managers in Ivory Coast, Africa. The mixed methodology focused on the why and who using the phenomenological approach, consisting of a survey, face-to-face interviews using open-ended questions, and a questionnaire to extract the experiences and perceptions of the participants about preventing the adverse consequences from cyber-threats. The results indicated the importance of top managers to be committed to a coordinated, continuous effort throughout the organization to ensure cyber security awareness, training, and compliance of security policies and procedures, as well as implementing and upgrading software designed to detect and prevent data breaches both internally and externally. The findings of this study could contribute to social change by educating managers about preventing data breaches who in turn may implement information accessibility without retribution. Protecting confidential data is a major concern because one data breach could impact many people as well as jeopardize the viability of the entire organization

BYOD-Insure: A Security Assessment Model for Enterprise BYOD

As organizations continue allowing employees to use their personal mobile devices to access the organizations’ networks and the corporate data, a phenomenon called ‘Bring Your Own Device’ or BYOD, proper security controls need to be adopted not only to secure the corporate data but also to protect the organizations against possible litigation problems. Until recently, current literature and research have been focused on specific areas or solutions regarding BYOD. The information associated with BYOD security issues in the areas of Management, IT, Users and Mobile Device Solutions is fragmented. This research is based on a need to provide a holistic approach to securing BYOD environments. This dissertation puts forth design science research methods to develop a comprehensive security assessment model, BYOD-Insure, to assess the security posture of an organization’s BYOD environment. BYOD-Insure aims to identify security vulnerabilities in organizations that allow (or are planning to adopt) BYODs. The main questions this research aims to answer are: 1) In order to protect the enterprise and its corporate data, how can an organization identify and mitigate the security risks associated with BYOD? 2) How can a holistic approach to security strengthen the security posture of BYOD environments? BYOD-Insure is composed of 5 modules that, in tandem, use a holistic approach to assess the security posture of the four domains of BYOD environments: assessment of management (BYOD-Insure-Management), assessment of IT (BYOD-Insure-IT), assessment of users’ behavior/security (BYOD-Insure-User), and assessment of the mobile device security adopted by the organization (BYOD-Insure-Mobile). The combined results of the 4 domains provide the overall security posture of the organization (BYOD-Insure-Global). The evaluation process for this model is based on a design science method for artifact evaluation. For BYOD-Insure, this process involves the use of descriptive scenarios to describe different types of BYOD security postures. This entails a detailed description of scenarios that depict low, moderate and high security postures with respect to BYOD. The results, for a particular organization, show the security controls that need to be strengthened, and the safeguards recommended. The BYOD-Insure assessment model helps answer the research questions raised in this study

The Proceedings of 15th Australian Information Security Management Conference, 5-6 December, 2017, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia

Conference Foreword The annual Security Congress, run by the Security Research Institute at Edith Cowan University, includes the Australian Information Security and Management Conference. Now in its fifteenth year, the conference remains popular for its diverse content and mixture of technical research and discussion papers. The area of information security and management continues to be varied, as is reflected by the wide variety of subject matter covered by the papers this year. The papers cover topics from vulnerabilities in “Internet of Things” protocols through to improvements in biometric identification algorithms and surveillance camera weaknesses. The conference has drawn interest and papers from within Australia and internationally. All submitted papers were subject to a double blind peer review process. Twenty two papers were submitted from Australia and overseas, of which eighteen were accepted for final presentation and publication. We wish to thank the reviewers for kindly volunteering their time and expertise in support of this event. We would also like to thank the conference committee who have organised yet another successful congress. Events such as this are impossible without the tireless efforts of such people in reviewing and editing the conference papers, and assisting with the planning, organisation and execution of the conference. To our sponsors, also a vote of thanks for both the financial and moral support provided to the conference. Finally, thank you to the administrative and technical staff, and students of the ECU Security Research Institute for their contributions to the running of the conference

Assessing home office cyber risks in the oil & gas industry A comparative study of risk assessment methods

Home Office has become a necessity nowadays, as it is part of the business continuity plan for many companies and organizations worldwide, ever since the COVID-19 outbreak made its presence in 2020. Even though it is not new as a concept, it has had a rapid growth, and it is now heavily used even within business areas that preferred to have all employees working from corporate offices. The oil and gas industry is such an example, since companies with a presence in that area, would always prefer to have their employees on-site, rather than working remotely. The aggressive introduction of “Work from Home” solutions though, comes with significant cyber risks that are not to be taken lightly. The aim of this thesis is to analyze a set of common risk assessment methodologies that are used in information security and test their effectiveness in terms of assessing cybersecurity risks related to the home office implementation in the oil and gas industry. The methodologies under investigation are IRAM2, ISO 27005:2018, Octave Allegro, FAIR and NIST SP800-30. According to the findings, there are specific strengths and limitations that risk analysts, decision-makers and other relevant stakeholders need to consider while using one or more of these methods for this specific use-case. The most important factor is time, which causes significant impediments for all involved parties and limits the options that can be considered, for reacting to the rationality of the situation. There are also more generic learnings though which are applicable even if companies had more time for properly assessing cyber risks before introducing remote worker solutions. The outcome of the research leans towards the use of two or more different risk assessment methodologies, which can be combined depending on the company’s needs and the project in scope. The learnings of this thesis can be useful for future potential incidents of a similar nature