Many organizations have a solid ITAD process under their belt, but the real threat may be the devices that they’ve forgotten about. Zombie devices are becoming a growing challenge for organizations, creating a variety of issues, including security risks. Ultimately, zombie devices are devices that remain connected to a network but are no longer in use, monitored, or even remembered. They are becoming much more frequent as remote work and electronic devices increase, which makes it even more important to be aware and avoid zombie devices. Let’s look more into how these devices are created and what impact they could have on enterprises and organizations.
What Are Zombie Devices?
As we briefly touched on, zombie devices are electronic devices that remain powered on or network-accessible, even though they aren’t used anymore or monitored. A lot of times, this can lead to devices being forgotten and left still connected with no ownership. These devices often have no recent login or activity, lack security patches, and aren’t connected to or tied to a specific person. These devices can be anything from former employees’ laptops to office printers installed years ago and forgotten about. These devices pose a huge risk, as they are inactive, but that doesn’t mean they are immune to security risks. In fact, because these devices are still connected to a network, they pose a greater risk than many realize.
How Are Zombie Devices Created?
Zombie devices arise from many different situations, and many enterprises have them right now, but don’t even know or recognize them. There are a few different scenarios that will lead to the creation of a zombie device. Here is a breakdown of some of these scenarios, so that you can be more mindful of zombie device creation at your enterprise or organization:
Poor Device Management: One of the biggest contributors to zombie devices. This is when organizations forget about devices or lack an organized system for inventorying and tracking their IT devices.
Offboarding: If your offboarding process isn’t substantial and consistent, this can lead to devices not being wiped, collected, or decommissioned properly.
Rapid Scaling: When a company is scaling rapidly, this can lead to processes being forgotten or neglected. It also leads to an influx of devices within that enterprise, without a proper ITAD or offboarding process in place.
Shadow IT: This refers to when a non-employee connects their personal or unauthorized device to a network. This device can remain connected to the network even when the enterprise isn’t using it.
What is Contributing to the Excess Amount of Zombie Devices?
With technology advancing at an incredible pace, zombie devices are becoming increasingly common. Ultimately, the expansion of hybrid or remote work has led to an influx of devices in the rotation. Because these devices are distributed worldwide, keeping track of them can be difficult. Visibility gaps are also a growing issue, as many organizations lack insight into all their connected, active, and inactive devices. This organization makes it easy for zombie devices to develop.
Delayed decommissioning is also something companies do when they are on time or budget constraints and decide to delay the decommissioning process.
In many cases, this delay becomes permanent, and the devices are never actually decommissioned. These contributors, among others, are why we are seeing many more zombie devices. Organizations that work with tech devices should understand their contributions and the associated risks.
Risks of Zombie Devices
There are many security risks associated with zombie devices, especially given their unauthorized use and residual data. These devices pose a greater risk because they remain connected and often still contain sensitive data, even when they aren’t in use. Here’s a look at the risks that are associated with zombie devices:
Weak Credentials: Weak or default credentials may be used on devices, allowing unauthorized users to access data left on them easily. The credentials used may also already be compromised, allowing virtually anyone access to the information.
No Monitoring: Because these devices are no longer in use and many have been forgotten, no monitoring is in place. This means that many threats will go unnoticed, as the protection is weak and there is no real-time monitoring to catch them.
Unauthorized Access: Attackers can use these devices, still connected to the network, as entry points. This allows them to gain access to the network and pose security risks not only to the personnel who own the device but also to the entire organization operating within the compromised network.
Data Breach: One of the most common security risks associated with zombie devices is a data breach. If an unauthorized person accesses sensitive data on these devices, it can lead to data leaks and breaches that compromise the organization or its employees.
How to Identify Zombie Devices in Your Organization
Now that you know a bit more about zombie devices and the threat they pose to your organization, it’s crucial to develop a plan to identify them within your enterprise. A simple plan with actionable steps can go a long way when determining where these devices are located.
IT Audit
The easiest way to identify these zombie devices is to conduct an IT asset audit. This will review unknown or inactive devices so you can follow the proper protocol for wiping and decommissioning them.
Network Discovery
You can use an automated scanning tool to detect all endpoints connected to a network. This will show all connected devices, so you can identify which aren’t in use anymore, and it will detect any unauthorized access to these endpoints from zombie devices.
Endpoint Detection
Putting endpoint detection in place on your network will notify you of any anomalies. The flagged device or endpoint can be monitored and investigated to determine whether it is a zombie device or the result of a security breach.
Usage Tracking
Technology devices can be tracked in the sense that any usage activity can be tracked. This allows you to easily see which devices haven’t been used for a long time so that you can decommission them properly.
Maintain Your Organization’s Zombie Devices
When it comes to zombie devices, it’s important to know where your business stands and what kind of zombie devices you may have within your organization. These devices are becoming a major issue and can lead to a range of severe security risks if not properly maintained. Proper ITAD processes and keeping track of your devices will help prevent zombie devices from arising. Make sure your organization has a process in place to maintain zombie devices and ensure they do not pose any security risk to your business.
