Camera Phones, USB Drives Pose Enterprise Security Risk

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March 03, 2004 (10:09 AM EST)

Camera Phones, USB Drives Pose Enterprise Security Risk

Camera phones and other consumer devices, such as USB-based flash drives, pose security and privacy risks to enterprises, a research firm said Wednesday, but banning them entirely is short-sighted and impractical.

According to Gartner research vice president Ken Dulaney, camera phones -- which will comprise 80 percent of the mobile phones shipped in the U.S. and Europe by 2006 -- are increasingly the focus of businesses worried that the devices will compromise their security and their employees' privacy.

But most organizations simply don't have the resources to bar all camera-equipped phones, he added. "Instead, businesses should designate secure zones where restrictions on these devices are tight and can be enforced," Dulaney said in a statement. "For other workplace areas, staff should be given guidelines about what is acceptable."

Other consumer-style hardware that can present security problems include the popular key ring-sized USB-based flash drives, and DVD burners deployed on company workstations. Such gear makes it all too easy to spirit huge quantities of data off the premises, said Dulaney, who urged companies to expand any policies directed toward camera phones to take into account consumer hardware in general.