Spooky Security: Shadow IT

Halloween is just a few weeks away so it is officially spooky season.  With that in mind, our haunting, October cyber threat is Shadow IT!  

Leading cloud security firm Cloudflare describes shadow IT as “the unsanctioned use of software, hardware, or other systems and services within an organization, often without the knowledge of that organization’s information technology (IT) department. Unlike standard IT infrastructure, shadow IT is not internally managed by an organization.”

Examples include cloud storage apps like DropBox or OneDrive, remote access apps including Chrome Remote Desktop, GoToMyPC, and Teamviewer, or even smart devices like TVs, Sonos audio, and wifi extenders.  

All these examples may be useful and secure when used correctly, and properly managed by your IT department.  But when used improperly, unknow to management or IT, even if innocently in order to improve efficiency, they represent a serious threat.  These applications may be leaking documents outside the organization, allowing remote access to the network for terminated employees, or be an insecure entry point for hackers to further compromise the network.

Secure your clubs network from goblins, ghouls and zombies exploiting these shadow IT services. Contact Buckeye Micro for a thorough review of your network and security policies and enjoy a safe, secure Cybersecurity Awareness Month and have a happy Halloween.