What is Shadow IT in Cyber Security?

Shadow IT is the illegal use of any digital service that is not officially approved and supported by any IT department. Users generally turn to shadow IT to improve the speed at which they can perform their jobs, the use of such services is unknown to the IT team and, therefore is not protected by the organization’s cybersecurity protocols.

In the case of cloud workloads and other services used by developers, assets might contain vulnerabilities such as the use of default passwords. This increases the risk of data breaches and other liabilities, which can be mitigated with cybersecurity managed services.

Read along to learn about shadow IT and the risks associated with it. So, let’s get started.

What is Shadow IT?

Shadow IT is the use of hardware or software by an individual without the consent knowledge of the security group within the organization. It can enclose cloud services, software, and hardware. The pain point is the adoption of cloud-based services.

With the growth of shadow IT has accelerated with the rapid development in the information technology. Users have become comfortable with downloading and using apps and services from the cloud to assist them in their work.

What is Shadow IT in Cyber Security?

Shadow IT cybersecurity is defined as the use of IT systems, devices, software’s and services without the knowledge of the IT department. This involves employees using unauthorized software’s, cloud services to perform their work because they find the organization’s system to be too slow.

What are the Different Factors of Shadow IT?

Shadow IT includes all forms of IT-related activities and purchases in which the IT department is not involved. It consist of:

• Iaas, PaaS, SaaS cloud services
• Endpoints such as computer
• APIs
• Servers and Networks
• Illicit OOTB products
• Chrome plugins
• Platform-level apps

Why Shadow IT has became a Rapid Trend?

The demand for high performance among staff leads to personal improvement and project optimization, utilizing readily available cloud services in a fast-paced setting.

The unauthorized use of the cloud service is very common. The perception of IT departments are very dull which can make employees frustrated by the standard procedure that sands between them and access to vital IT resources.

Paired up with an increase in the need for quick solutions and rapidly changing workload, it is o no surprise that most of the employees are starting to take up IT into their own hands.

Benefits of Shadow IT

When managed carefully, shadow it can bring unpredictable advantages:

• Quick Access to Tools: Teams can quickly adopt solutions which are custom tailored to their needs without waiting for lengthy IT approval process.
• Innovation and Experimentation: Employees might explore the cutting-edge tools which the organization haven’t even considered before.
• Employee Productivity: When employees find the right tools to work, they can work seamlessly on their task which will streamline the workflow and increase productivity and result.

Risks of Shadow IT

The following are the top risks of shadow it:

• Security Risks and Vulnerability: The use of shadow IT leads to an increased risk of malware attacks and data breakout from unauthorized IT hardware, software and cloud apps.
• Expanded Attack Surface: Shadow IT leads to app recline, with unauthorized apps multiplying across the organization. This generation creates unmonitored endpoints and unsecured connections which shall expand on the attack surface and provide threat factors more ways to exploit vulnerabilities.
• Compliance and Regulatory Issues: Compliance implications of shadow IT can be as harmful as breaching security, especially for small businesses. They have to abide by region-specific regulatory requirements such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, General Data Protection Regulation, Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, all of which highlight the importance of cybersecurity for small business operations.
• Increased Costs and Inefficiency: There are major cost-related consequences of shadow IT which includes suboptimal collaborations, poor use of existing resources, potential downtime and data compromise.

Why is Shadow IT a Rapid Increasing an Issue?

The use of shadow IT has increasingly which is propagating in the recent years because of the business transformation efforts. The use of shadow IT rarely malicious. It is a practice vividly embraced by employees in their day-to-day activities which requires fast and flexible access to various tools and apps.

How to Tackle the Risks of Shadow IT?

Businesses should intake the following steps to tackle the risks of Shadow IT:

• Understand the organizational and team needs via comprehensive and regular audits across the business.
• Use cutting edge technology to monitor the network and ensure visibility and control of all the devices and systems.
• Communicate and collaborate with all the employees on the secure use of all the tools and proper protocol for furnishing a new service.
• Establish and maintain security posture and compliance.
• Generate a framework that assesses risks and gives priority to the repaired efforts.

Key Takeaway

Shadow IT refers to the use of unauthorized or unapproved technology, devices, or applications within an organization’s network or infrastructure. While employees may deploy these solutions to improve productivity or address specific needs, they can introduce significant security risks.

Without proper oversight, Shadow IT can bypass security controls, leading to potential data breaches, compliance violations, and overall vulnerabilities.