Ask Slashdot: Do You Use a Smartphone At Work, Contrary to Policy?

Jason McNew writes: I have been in IT since the late '90s, and began a graduate degree in Cyber Security with Penn State two years ago. I have always been interested in how and why users break policies, despite being trained carefully. I have observed the same phenomena even in highly secure government facilities — I watched people take iPhones into highly sensitive government facilities on several occasions. That led me to wonder to what extent the same problem exists in the private sector: Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) are a huge threat to both security and intellectual property. This question has become the subject of a pilot study I am doing for grad school. So, do you use a smart phone or other PED during work hours, even though you are not supposed to? Please let me know, and I will provide the results in a subsequent submission to Slashdot.

Comments

Fix your Survey

[Anonymous Coward]

Question 8. What kind of wearable smart devices do you own (check all that apply)?

If I don't check any, I get a "! This question requires an answer." Alert.

I guess I better go get a wearable smart device.

(Other questions have the same problem)

Not a factor in actually secure environments

[Anonymous Coward]

I've worked a lot of places. I work for the government now.

There's two classes of secure workplace. Actually secure, and pretend secure.

Actually secure places have people who search everybody when they come in, may have thugs with guns guarding the place, have proper access controls and actual consequences. Active network monitoring. Plug something unexpected in and security shows up, not the admin. Violation of policies can result in things like jail, detention, civil liabilities, immediate termination, etc.

Pretend secure places have polices, maybe a secure door, and no real consequences.

Re:No!

[Anonymous Coward]

They must not have been that secure. I've been in plenty of CDC and DOD buildings where smartphones are banned because they have cameras.

Re:Proof of Security Risk from Portable Electronic

[nitehawk214]

This appears to be one of those "conclusion first" studies, especially after seeing all the loaded questions in the survey, (which I could not complete due to the lack of n/a options). I have no confidence in OP's ability to be objective, considering his degree is in security, which relies on companies being overzealous.