Personal gadgets raise risk of cybercrime in workplace — US survey

Bringing your own device at work may not be as safe as before from threats of cybercrime.   Cybercriminals just found a new target: Android and iOS gadgets – phones, tablets, laptops – used for work.   More and more companies now allow employees to "bring-your-own-device" (BYOD) in the advent of cloud computing, and Android and iOS gadgets.   In a recent Osterman Research Survey, between 2007 and 2012, small and medium businesses (SMBs) reported steadily increasing web attacks. Malware, phising, and other types of violation surged by 35 percent while email attacks soared by 12 percent.   SMBs that update their pattern files or signatures only a few times per day risk more malware-related infections, the study noted.   Also, these businesses risk a larger chance of infection during the security time gap between when malware is released, and when the protection is distributed across the various units.   In the same survey, Android usage gained the largest increase in SMBs, with the number of Google Androids being used increasing by 7.1 percentage points from 2011. Meanwhile, the number of Apple iPhones being used in SMBs increased by 3.1 percentage points.   In an average month, about 4.3 percent of endpoints (units) become infected, or a of 52.1-percent annual infection rate. These attacks cost $2,400 per endpoint or $79,200 per year.   Myla Pilao, Trend Micro's director for Core Technology Marketing said in a statement, "Last year alone, more than a billion dollars was stolen from small and midsize bank accounts and data breaches are becoming even more costly.   “Many organizations are at risk of being put out of business through direct financial losses or the high cost of direct or indirect data loss,”  she added.   Trend Micro, an international antivirus, and internet content security software developer, commissioned the study.   The study also said that IT security providers must spend time and money cleaning customers' gadgets, taking at least 72 minutes to repair a single unit.   But the study also said that the time used for repair could be avoided with better security.   SMBs should update more regularly, and invest in solutions that manage threats in the cloud, according to the study. — With Shaira Panela/VS, GMA News