Study: 4 out of 10 government employees ignore rules, put data at risk

Many US government employees don't abide by mobile rules, putting data at risk.

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It's not a surprise that federal agencies have fully embraced mobile technology like smartphones and tablets, but there is great concern that 40 percent of government employees put sensitive data at risk by ignoring agency policies.

Study: 4 out of 10 government employees ignore rules, put data at risk | TweakTown.com

A recent study from mobile security firm Lookout discovered employees rooting, jailbreaking and sideloading applications, while still having direct access to work documents, work email, and other possibly sensitive data. The study also found 49 percent of federal employees don't have any form of anti-malware or anti-virus security solution installed, and employees use unsecured devices while handling sensitive data.

Not that the policies used by government agencies should be followed in the private sector, but gives decision makers guidelines on behaviors that don't work - and how to avoid them.

"The cybersecurity practices, or lack thereof, of the federal government are under the microscope in the wake of the OPM hack," said Bob Stevens, VP of Federal Systems at Lookout. "Yet, hardly anyone is scrutinizing the unsanctioned use of mobile devices that could be putting government data at risk."

See, it's not just Hillary Clinton finding ways to use technology to cause possible cybersecurity headaches.

An experienced tech journalist and marketing specialist, Michael joins TweakTown to cover everything from cars & electric vehicles to solar and green energy topics. A former Staff Writer at DailyTech, Michael is now the Cars & Electric Vehicles News Reporter and will contribute news stories on a daily basis. In addition to contributing here, Michael also runs his own tech blog, AlamedaTech.com, while he looks to remain busy in the tech world.

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