Five cybersecurity risks posed by shadow IT

Shadow IT involves risks, including cybersecurity. Here are a few cybersecurity risks it possesses

Shadow IT results from pressure faced by companies to increase productivity and quickly respond to customers’ needs. This is beneficial in the short term but decentralizes technology, creating a gap between business and IT departments. This can lead to a multitude of cybersecurity risks.

This article by Steve Cobb discusses how shadow IT can lead to cybersecurity risks and put company data at high stakes. Shadow IT has become a more pervasive problem since the pandemic as people worked remotely. The most significant cybersecurity risks are:

1. Holes in security:

Different departments' usage of various SaaS tools makes it harder for the IT teams to monitor the security environment, thus making it easier for threat actors to access critical information.

 2. Low visibility:

Shadow IT makes it impossible to detect any threats because employees use personal devices, software, and services that IT departments cannot see.

3. Increased possibility of data loss:

Employees who use personal devices and company data are usually stored on their software rather than the company’s software, which leads to data loss and unprotected information.

4. Compliance issue:

Shadow IT creates heavy data flow that can lead to a compliance issue. Unapproved software can also lead to potentially hefty fines.

5. Disrupted workflow:

When employees use different SaaS tools, it becomes difficult to collaborate with other departments when they all use various tools for the same purpose.

Click here to gain more insight into the cybersecurity risks posed by shadow IT.