John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the nation`s leading recycler of electronic waste, has issued a public statement warning that recent reports of the US Army`s lack of an effective cybersecurity program for mobile devices is a stark reminder of a much larger issue.
In a recent NBC News report, the Department of Defense`s Inspector General explained that the Army does not have an “effective” security program for mobile devices with some phones not appropriately configured to protect stored information or able to remotely wipe data if the phones are lost, stolen or damaged. The Inspector General’s office conducted an audit from April 2012 through February 2013 and found that more than 14,000 mobile devices – including “BYOD” (bring your own device) Android, Apple and Windows phones – had not received the “appropriate authorizations” needed to secure them, meaning sensitive military information could potentially be exposed to malicious parties.
In his statement, Shegerian warns that this current concern is only one part of a larger problem when it comes to government, military, commercial or private disposal of such mobile devices.
“This issue is the small tip of a massive iceberg,” said Shegerian. “If our military, with its expert set of security-related checks and balances, is having a hard time managing the security of private information on mobile devices, imagine the obstacles we are faced with in the private and commercial sectors. Since virtually everyone today, be they an HR person at a Fortune 500 company, a police officer, a government employee or the First Lady herself, uses mobile devices, it has become crucially important to recycle these devices effectively when they are no longer of use.”
Shegerian said that in this day of cybercrime and identity theft, it is vital for every business and individual to protect their privacy and never simply throw old or unwanted devices in the trash.
“Although environmental protection is still a paramount concern when it comes to the appropriate disposal of mobile devices,” said Shegerian, “a concurrent issue that needs to be addressed by all governmental, corporate and US citizens is data protection. It is essential to remember that if data from these devices is not properly destroyed in the recycling process, personal data will continue to be breached. It`s an issue that is vitally important to the protection of our individual and corporate privacy — and to our Homeland and National Security.”
“At ERI,” Shegerian continued, “we know how important this is and have developed the world`s most efficient shredding technology for the destruction and recycling of e-waste.”