BYOD Security: A Study of Human Dimensions

TL;DR

This study investigates how Australian employees perceive and practice BYOD security measures through a survey, aiming to inform the development of more effective security frameworks amid increasing mobile device threats.

Contribution

It provides insights into employee awareness, responses, and potential vulnerabilities related to BYOD security in Australian organizations, guiding future security framework improvements.

Findings

Employees have varying levels of awareness of BYOD security.

Current security responses are inconsistent across organizations.

Identified weaknesses could be exploited by attackers.

Abstract

The prevalence and maturity of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) security along with subsequent frameworks and security mechanisms in Australian organisations is a growing phenomenon somewhat similar to other developed nations. During the COVID 19 pandemic, even organisations that were previously reluctant to embrace BYOD have been forced to accept it to facilitate remote work. The aim of this paper is to discover, through a study conducted using a survey questionnaire instrument, how employees practice and perceive the BYOD security mechanisms deployed by Australian businesses which can help guide the development of future BYOD security frameworks. Three research questions are answered by this study - What levels of awareness do Australian businesses have for BYOD security aspects? How are employees currently responding to the security mechanisms applied by their organisations for mobile devices? What are the potential weaknesses in businesses IT networks that have a direct effect on BYOD security? Overall, the aim of this research is to illuminate the findings of these research objectives so that they can be used as a basis for building new and strengthening existing BYOD security frameworks in order to enhance their effectiveness against an ever-growing list of attacks and threats targeting mobile devices in a virtually driven work force.