UAE mobile users risk sharing their employer’s data, report says

The report called for businesses in the UAE to take action as it revealed companies were ill-prepared for the high-risk, high-growth mindset of the GenMobile workforce.

ABU DHABI // The UAE was ranked fifth among “most at risk” areas in a global mobile security threat study, after Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and China/Hong Kong.

Aruba Networks, which conducted the study, called for businesses in the UAE to take action as the report revealed companies were ill-prepared for the high-risk, high-growth mindset of the GenMobile workforce, who are considered to be tied to their mobile device in their everyday life.

The report questioned more than 11,500 workers across 23 countries to highlight how employee attitudes were swaying towards a more sharing, security-agnostic workplace.

The study showed that highly regulated and tech-savvy industries, higher-earning males and emerging markets posed the greatest risk to enterprise data security.

Data found that 62 per cent of respondents shared their work and personal devices with others regularly. Fourteen per cent of employees did not have passwords on devices, with 11 per cent of those stating that they did not have security measures in place so that they could share more easily.

“GenMobile workers are flexible, transparent and collaborative, willing to take action to drive productivity and business growth,” said Ben Gibson, of Aruba Networks, which sells networking equipment. “That said, these employees are also far more willing to share company data, and are notably oblivious towards security.”

The study suggests that businesses in the UAE may not be prepared for what lies ahead, with more than one third (37 per cent) not having any type of basic mobile security policy in place.

“Organisations in the UAE should strive to build a secure and operational framework for all workers, rather than stifle them,” said Ammar Enaya, general manager of Aruba Networks Middle East. “These trends underline that GenMobile employees continue to be a growing part of the everyday workforce but they also bring with them some risky behaviours.”