Over 2400 governments, schools, and healthcare agencies dealt with ransomware attacks in 2020. Shadow devices pose an increasing security threat to businesses trying to shield themselves from these attacks, according to a new report from Infoblox, since shadow devices open an organization up to engineering hacks, phishing, and malware injection. The report claims 35% of businesses have more than 5,000 personal devices connecting to their networks each day. 

Shadow IT is the use of information technology systems, devices, software, applications, and services without explicit IT department approval. This includes the use of personal hardware devices and drives, the use of personal IoT applications with company devices, and the downloading of software without the knowledge or approval of the IT department. For most IT managers, trying to maintain some sense of control over shadow devices or monitor their use has been worse than herding cats and more like an impossible mission (Tom Cruise herding cats—maybe the next installment in the series?). 

Despite the security threats, many companies are ignoring the prevalent use of shadow devices for some key reasons, but the latest cyber attacks should be a wake-up call—businesses can’t ignore these vulnerabilities anymore. Read more about why most companies have been ignoring the problem, and what they can do about it.