The International Business Machines has restricted its employees from using SD cards, flash drives and USB sticks fearing security breach even as the cyber security experts have called it an impractical approach to prevent one from stealing data.
The employees with the American multi national technology titan posted across the world have already received a set of guidelines asking them to be refrained from using these removable memory devices from May-end apprehending mess in financial and reputational corners.
Issued by the company’s global chief security officer Shamla Naidoo, the advisories have, however, allowed the employees to take the help of internal network which the company calls safe and secured.
The computer giant says an impending threat to cyber security standard has forced it to take this course of action which the authorities call a long term measure to counter the possible mess.
A school of cyber security experts have called it a step in right direction to counter the menace adding that these devices can help anybody steal sensitive data from the company much to the mileage of the hackers to develop malicious software.
But in the same breath, they observed that the company would have to face some hurdles and hic cups to implement these guidelines in the initial stage.
Some other experts, doing extensive studies on the cyber security threats, have called it a problematic approach adding that an IBM staff who keeps using these devices for legitimate purpose might be forced to change the work place.
They further have said stopping these devices alone won’t help somebody from stealing data and that the measure is an “unwanted” and complete “over reaction” by the company authorities.
The company says as of now, the slew of measures, are confined to a few departments only. But the same would be applicable for all the IBM departments worldwide, where the employees won’t be allowed to use these devices.
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