Using personal accounts for business transactions can pose significant cybersecurity threats. While it might seem convenient or cost-effective at first, the potential downsides and complications can far outweigh any perceived benefits.
Don’t think an attack could happen to your business? Think again…
Recently, a company that one of Adaptive’s clients does business with had their Hotmail account compromised. A hacker sent a change of banking email requesting $16k+ in invoices to be paid. The email came from the proper email address, and it seemed legit.
The client sent payment to the new banking information without verifying the transaction with a phone call, and now the money is gone. The bank is attempting to recall the payment, but the likelihood of success is low.
Adaptive was able to provide their client with records of the email communications, debunk a fake email address, and give them peace of mind that their accounts are now locked down. But, it never should have happened in the first place.
Let’s dig deeper into why using personal accounts for businesses is a MAJOR cyber security risk…
Increased Risk of Phishing Attacks
Personal email accounts and online profiles are often less secure than dedicated business accounts. Attackers may target these personal accounts with phishing emails, attempting to trick you into revealing sensitive business information or login credentials.
According to excerpts from an article by Barracuda, they wrote, “Personal email accounts exist outside of the IT department’s control. They are not subject to backup, archiving, security, or governance, so using them for business purposes is a clear violation of compliance regulations.
And since personal emails are not stored on company servers, discovery and FOIA requests are seriously compromised, presenting legal risks to your organization.
Allowing employees to use personal email accounts to conduct business means that your company’s business information is being stored on mail servers outside of your control anywhere in the world. You have no way of knowing all the places where your company data is stored or where it’s been transmitted.
Also, a personal email account is not covered by your company’s security policies. Your employee may have agreed to Gmail’s Terms and Conditions (which allow for email content searches), but your company didn’t. You may have a good data privacy policy in place—but personal email accounts can bypass it with one click of the “Send” button.
Even the act of discovery is difficult – Personal emails are not discoverable in standard legal discovery procedures. Google, for example, prohibits external scanning of users’ emails, meaning the company will have to instruct the user to scan his or her email themselves and runs a big risk of spoliation sanctions. If the issue is regulatory, the company is likely to be found out of compliance.”
Data Breach Risks
Personal accounts may not have the same level of security measures as business accounts, making them more vulnerable to data breaches. If a personal account is compromised, sensitive business data, customer information, and financial records may be exposed.
When you use personal accounts for business purposes, you expose your business to a higher risk of data breaches. Here’s why this risk is significant:
Less Stringent Security Measures: Personal email and online accounts typically have fewer security features and safeguards compared to dedicated business accounts. For example, they may lack advanced security protocols like end-to-end encryption and robust intrusion detection systems.
Inadequate Password Management: Personal accounts may not enforce strong password policies or require regular password changes. This makes it easier for cybercriminals to crack weak passwords or use password-guessing techniques.
Increased Target for Cyberattacks: Cybercriminals are aware that personal accounts may be less secure than business accounts. As a result, they may specifically target individuals who use personal accounts for business purposes, knowing that they could gain access to valuable business data.
Exposure of Sensitive Business Data: If a personal account is compromised, any business-related emails, documents, or communications stored within that account could be exposed to unauthorized individuals. This could include sensitive customer information, financial records, contracts, and proprietary data.
Delayed Detection and Response: Since personal accounts are not typically monitored as closely as business accounts, it may take longer to detect a data breach. Delayed detection can allow cybercriminals to access and exfiltrate data over an extended period, causing more significant damage.
Legal and Regulatory Consequences: Depending on your location and industry, there may be legal and regulatory requirements to protect certain types of data. If a data breach occurs through a personal account, it could result in legal consequences, fines, or damage to your business’s reputation.
Loss of Control Over Access
When you use personal accounts for business transactions and communications, you risk losing control over who has access to your business data. This loss of control can have several significant implications:
Unauthorized Access: Personal accounts are typically managed solely by the account holder. When business-related information is stored in personal accounts, it becomes challenging to control and monitor who else has access. This can lead to unauthorized access by individuals who should not have permission to view or manipulate sensitive business data.
Employee Turnover: In a business setting, employees often have access to various accounts and systems. If you use personal accounts for business, employee turnover can become problematic. When an employee leaves the company, they may retain access to their personal accounts, potentially creating a security gap if they had access to critical business data.
Shared Access: In some cases, multiple employees or team members may need access to the same business data or communications. Personal accounts may not support secure and centralized sharing and access control features like those provided by dedicated business account management systems.
Data Leakage: Without proper access controls, business data can easily leak to unauthorized parties. This can occur through accidental sharing, misconfigured permissions, or a lack of oversight.
Difficulty in Revoking Access: If you need to revoke access to specific business data or accounts, it can be challenging to do so effectively with personal accounts. You may need to rely on the cooperation of the account holder, which can lead to delays and complications.
Audit Trails and Accountability: Personal accounts may not maintain comprehensive audit trails and logs of who accessed specific data or when. This lack of transparency can hinder investigations into security incidents or data breaches.
Weaker Authentication Measures
Business accounts often offer stronger authentication options, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). Personal accounts may lack these security features, making it easier for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access. Here’s why this is a critical issue:
Password Complexity: Personal accounts may not enforce strong password complexity requirements. As a result, individuals using personal accounts for business purposes might choose weaker, easily guessable passwords, which can be exploited by attackers through brute force or dictionary attacks.
Lack of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Personal accounts may not offer or require multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide two or more forms of verification before gaining access. Without MFA, personal accounts are more vulnerable to unauthorized access.
Limited Account Recovery Options: Personal accounts may not provide robust account recovery options, making it challenging to regain access in case of a forgotten password or a compromised account. This can result in potential data loss or prolonged downtime for business activities.
Shared Credentials: In some cases, personal accounts might be shared among multiple individuals within a business, making it difficult to track who has access and who is responsible for account security. This practice can lead to security lapses and breaches.
Security Questions: Personal accounts often use security questions as a means of account recovery. However, the answers to these questions may be easily discoverable or publicly available, weakening the overall security of the account.
Inconsistent Security Practices: Individuals using personal accounts for business purposes may not follow consistent security practices across all accounts. This lack of uniformity can result in inconsistencies in password strength and security measures.
Difficulty in Implementing Security Policies
Businesses typically have established cybersecurity policies and practices to protect sensitive data. Using personal accounts can make it difficult to enforce these policies, potentially exposing your business to security vulnerabilities. Here’s why this can pose a significant problem:
Inconsistent Security Practices: Personal accounts are typically managed individually by users, and each user may have different security practices and levels of awareness. This can lead to inconsistencies in security measures, making it difficult to ensure that all business-related activities are adequately protected.
Limited Control: Business security policies often include requirements such as password complexity, encryption standards, and data access restrictions. When personal accounts are used, it can be challenging to enforce these policies uniformly across all users, increasing the risk of security vulnerabilities.
Lack of Centralized Management: Business accounts often benefit from centralized management tools and dashboards that allow administrators to set and enforce security policies easily. Personal accounts, on the other hand, lack these centralized controls, making it harder to implement and monitor security measures.
Difficulty in Updating Policies: As security threats evolve, it’s crucial to update security policies and practices accordingly. With personal accounts, updating policies may require individual users to take action, which can lead to delays or non-compliance.
Limited Visibility and Reporting: Business accounts often provide robust logging and reporting capabilities, allowing administrators to track user activity and identify potential security threats. Personal accounts may not offer the same level of visibility, making it challenging to detect and respond to security incidents.
Inadequate Backup and Recovery Options
Business accounts often come with better backup and recovery options to safeguard critical data. Personal accounts may not provide the same level of data protection, making it harder to recover from data loss due to cyberattacks or system failures. Here’s why this is a crucial concern:
Limited Data Protection: Personal accounts may not provide the same level of data protection and backup options as dedicated business accounts. In the event of data loss due to hardware failure, accidental deletion, or cyberattacks, you may find it challenging to recover critical business information.
Data Fragmentation: Business data stored across various personal accounts can become fragmented and disorganized. This fragmentation makes it difficult to establish a cohesive and efficient backup and recovery strategy.
Data Recovery Delays: If data stored in personal accounts is lost or compromised, the process of recovering that data can be time-consuming and may rely on the account holder’s ability to restore it. This delay can disrupt business operations and potentially lead to data loss.
Data Retention Policies: Personal accounts may not adhere to the same data retention policies as business accounts. This can result in the unintentional deletion of important business records if the account holder purges old data.
Security Concerns: When relying on personal accounts for backup and recovery, there may be concerns about the security of stored data. Personal accounts may not implement robust encryption and access controls that are standard in dedicated business backup solutions.
Mixing Personal and Business Data
Mixing personal and business data is not only a cybersecurity risk but also generally considered a bad idea due to the numerous potential pitfalls it presents. Here’s a more in-depth look at why combining personal and business data is problematic:
Cybersecurity Risks
Data Exposure: Mixing personal and business data increases the risk of data exposure. Personal accounts may not have the same level of security as business accounts, making it easier for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to sensitive business information.
Phishing Vulnerability: Cybercriminals often use phishing attacks to target individuals. When personal and business data are mixed, it can be challenging to distinguish legitimate from fraudulent communications, increasing the likelihood of falling victim to phishing scams.
Data Breach Impact: In the event of a data breach, the impact can be more severe when personal and business data are intertwined. Personal data, such as financial records or personal identifiers, could be compromised alongside business data, leading to potential legal and regulatory consequences.
Compliance Challenges: Many industries and regions have strict data protection and compliance regulations. Mixing personal and business data can make it difficult to comply with these regulations, potentially resulting in fines and legal troubles.
Confidentiality Risks: Business-related conversations and documents may contain confidential or proprietary information. Storing this information in personal accounts increases the risk of accidental sharing or exposure to unauthorized individuals.
Data Deletion Risks: Personal accounts may have different data retention and deletion policies than business accounts. This can lead to the unintentional deletion of important business records or documents when personal data is purged.
Data Leakage: Mixing personal and business data can result in data leakage. Personal files or communications could inadvertently be sent to business contacts and vice versa, which can lead to misunderstandings and loss of trust.
Operational and Productivity Challenges
Disorganization: Personal accounts can quickly become disorganized when used for business purposes. This can make it challenging to locate important emails, documents, or messages when needed.
Loss of Professionalism: Using personal accounts for business communications can project an unprofessional image to clients, partners, and customers. It may convey a lack of commitment to your business.
Difficulty in Scaling: As your business grows, the demands on your data and communication systems increase. Personal accounts may not scale effectively to meet these demands, leading to operational inefficiencies.
Inefficient Data Access: Mixing personal and business data can make it more difficult to access relevant information quickly. This inefficiency can hinder productivity and decision-making.
Confusion and Miscommunication: Personal accounts can lead to confusion and miscommunication between personal and business contacts. Important business-related messages might get lost among personal communications, leading to missed opportunities or deadlines.
Limited Support for Security Updates
Business software and applications typically receive more frequent security updates and patches. Personal accounts may not receive the same level of attention from software providers, leaving you more exposed to vulnerabilities. Here’s why this can pose a significant problem:
Delay in Security Patching: Personal accounts, particularly free or consumer-grade services, may not prioritize or offer timely security updates. This means that critical vulnerabilities in the software or services you rely on may not be patched promptly, leaving your business exposed to known security risks.
Lack of Centralized Management: Personal accounts often lack centralized management tools that allow businesses to control and monitor the update process. This can lead to inconsistencies in applying updates across different users and devices.
Security Vulnerabilities: Outdated software and services are a prime target for cyberattacks. Cybercriminals actively seek and exploit known vulnerabilities, putting your business data and systems at risk.
Compromised Accounts: If a personal account is compromised due to an unpatched vulnerability, it can have a domino effect, potentially leading to the compromise of other linked accounts and systems.
Incompatibility Issues: In some cases, updates may introduce compatibility issues with other software or tools you use for business operations. Personal accounts may not provide the flexibility to control or delay updates to mitigate these issues.
Difficulty in Monitoring for Suspicious Activity
Monitoring for suspicious or unauthorized activity is a critical aspect of cybersecurity, as it helps detect and respond to potential threats promptly. However, when personal accounts are used for business purposes, monitoring can become challenging. Here’s why:
Lack of Centralized Monitoring: Personal accounts typically lack centralized monitoring and reporting capabilities that dedicated business accounts and security solutions offer. This means there’s no unified dashboard for tracking activity across all business-related accounts.
Limited Visibility: Personal accounts may not provide detailed logs and audit trails of user actions and access, making it difficult to trace and investigate suspicious activities effectively.
Manual Monitoring: Monitoring personal accounts often requires manual efforts, such as reviewing emails, chat logs, or transaction histories one by one. This is time-consuming and less efficient compared to automated monitoring systems.
Alerting Challenges: Personal accounts may not have robust alerting systems in place to notify you of suspicious or unauthorized access or activities. This means that potentially harmful activities could go unnoticed until it’s too late.
Data Fragmentation: Business data stored in various personal accounts can be fragmented and scattered, making it challenging to aggregate and analyze data for security purposes.
Inconsistencies: Personal accounts may follow inconsistent security practices, making it harder to establish a baseline of normal user behavior against which suspicious activity can be identified.
In short, using personal accounts for business transactions can pose significant cybersecurity threats. While it might seem convenient or cost-effective at first, the potential downsides and complications can far outweigh any perceived benefits.
Mitigation Strategies
To mitigate the risks associated with using personal accounts for business, consider implementing the following strategies:
Use Dedicated Business Accounts: Prioritize dedicated business accounts and services with strong security features and centralized management tools.
Educate Employees: Train employees about cybersecurity best practices, the risks of using personal accounts, and how to recognize and report potential threats.
Implement Strong Authentication: Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all business accounts to enhance security.
Enforce Security Policies: Establish and enforce clear security policies for all business-related activities, including password complexity, data encryption, and access controls.
Centralize Data Storage: Encourage the centralization of business data storage in dedicated business accounts or cloud-based repositories.
Regularly Monitor and Audit: Implement automated monitoring and audit tools to detect and respond to suspicious activity promptly.
Backup and Recovery Plans: Establish robust backup and recovery plans for critical business data to minimize downtime and data loss.
Segregate Personal and Business Data: Maintain a clear separation between personal and business data to avoid cybersecurity and operational risks.
Stay Informed: Stay updated on the latest cybersecurity threats and best practices to adapt and improve your security measures continuously.
By following these mitigation strategies, businesses can better protect their sensitive data, reduce cybersecurity risks, and ensure the integrity and security of their business operations.
At Adaptive Office Solutions, cybersecurity is our specialty. We keep cybercrimes at bay by using analysis, forensics, and reverse engineering to prevent malware attempts and patch vulnerability issues. By making an investment in multilayered cybersecurity, you can leverage our expertise to boost your defenses, mitigate risks, and protect your data with next-gen IT security solutions.
Every device connecting to the internet poses a cyber security threat, including that innocent-looking smartwatch you’re wearing. Adaptive’s wide range of experience and certifications fills the gaps in your business’s IT infrastructure and dramatically increases the effectiveness of your cybersecurity posture.
Using our proactive cybersecurity management, cutting-edge network security tools, and comprehensive business IT solutions, you can lower your costs through systems that are running at their prime, creating greater efficiency and preventing data loss and costly downtime. With Adaptive Office Solutions by your side, we’ll help you navigate the complexities of cybersecurity so you can achieve business success without worrying about online threats.
To schedule a Cyber Security Risk Review, call the Adaptive Office Solutions’ hotline at 506-624-9480 or email us at helpdesk@adaptiveoffice.ca