Home working leads to 42 percent increase in devices on corporate networks

New research released today from Sepio Systems, a rogue device mitigation firm, reveals a 42 percent jump in the number of devices connected to corporate networks, compared with the pre-COVID-19 period.

Not only has the number of connected devices increased, there are also almost three times the number of different device vendors. This means many unbranded or budget makes of equipment being used that are not commonly found in the enterprise environment.

The shift to working from home means that there are numerous potentially vulnerable devices connected to the corporate network with a range of manufacturers, and each with different functionalities and capabilities. Although CISOs have started to create longer term security strategies, they sometimes fail to consider peripherals such as keyboards, mice and USB charging cables, as they are not considered vulnerable devices.

However, these devices can pose as a threat to the organization as they have the functionality to both insert and extract information, giving them the capacity to cause damage, should they be instructed to do so. Devices often have embedded processors that, if compromised, can be used to launch DDoS or Man-in-the-Middle attacks.

You can see more on the Sepio Systems website.

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