According to research by Appthority, using your smartphone and certain apps in the workplace puts company security at risk
Apps, such as instant messaging apps, are also used to handle confidential company information. According to Appthority, a company expert in mobile cybersecurity, WhatsApp is one of the 10 apps that companies put on the blacklist of those not to use at work.
The reasons are many. As is well known, the spread of smartphones and always-connected items exposes companies to hacking attacks. Many use their devices to send valuable data about the company. It becomes almost impossible for a business to protect its confidentiality and security. In addition, there is also the risk that the devices used by employees are vulnerable and, therefore, can be exploited to breach the company’s internal protection systems. Apps are therefore a very real danger to corporate cybersecurity.
The Most Hated Apps
In the Android top ten, which includes the blacklist of the most hated apps by enterprises, there are tools and other programs that have been banned because they pose a malware risk, such as Poot-debug(W100).apk, Android System Theme and Where’s My Droid Pro, which rank first, second and third respectively.
The ranking of iOS apps is different. The danger in this case is not malware, but the spread of confidential information, distributed without permission or without using cryptographic systems. Moreover, there is also the risk that the apps in question send location data. Among the apps blacklisted in the top three are WhatsApp, Pokemon Go and WinZip, with CamScanner coming in fourth.
For businesses, apps pose a risk, motivated in part by the fact that many companies allow employees to use their own devices; this approach is known as BYOD, which stands for Bring Your Own Device. A system that makes it even more difficult for companies to preserve their business.