Recruitment teams work with highly sensitive data—personal details, contracts, and financial records. But with remote hiring, smart devices, and digital applications on the rise, cyber threats are growing. Data breaches, phishing scams, and weak security policies put both recruiters and candidates at risk.
Today, the majority of employees expect to receive a performant company phone and/or tablet from their employers. And many of them do. But with the increasing importance of smart devices such as smartphones and tablets, the gadgets have become a worthwhile target for cyber criminals.
How can organizations stay secure and minimize mobile security risks without huge overheads for the IT department?
The answer lies in professional device solutions (DaaS = device as a service). By equipping teams with secure, managed devices, companies can ensure data protection, compliance, and peace of mind. In this article, we’ll explore the key risks in recruitment cybersecurity and how the right device strategy can keep your business safe.
The Growing Cybersecurity Threats in Recruitment
Recruitment firms handle a wealth of sensitive information—candidate resumes, financial details, and confidential company data. But as hiring processes become increasingly digital, so do the risks.
Cybercriminals target recruitment agencies with phishing scams, data breaches, and ransomware attacks, exploiting weak security measures and unsecured devices. Without proper protection, recruiters risk exposing personal data, facing legal consequences, and damaging their reputation. Understanding these threats is the first step toward building a secure, resilient recruitment process.
Why Private Devices are a Liability
As always, cost control is a factor. Using private devices on the job seems to be a win-win situation. The recruiter can use a device he already knows—the company can save the cost of purchasing the equipment.
However, the “bring your own device” strategy has a whole host of disadvantages that need to be taken seriously. Personal devices can be specifically vulnerable to malware, outdated software, or unauthorised access. There is no reliable way of knowing if they support compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR—if the IT is even aware that the device exists and has access to company data.
Extra IT effort is needed to securely integrate these private devices into the company network and to harden them against threats. Of course, it can be done. But it is quite cumbersome and wastes the notoriously scarce IT capacities.
Data Protection & GDPR
Applicant data is highly sensitive. Unencrypted e-mails with CVs or storing data on insecure BYOD gadgets (e.g. private laptops) are major risks. Companies should have clear guidelines on how applicant data is processed, stored and deleted. These strategies must, of course, also extend to mobile devices.
Identity Fraud & Deepfakes
With AI-generated documents and fake identities, it is becoming increasingly easy for cybercriminals to impersonate someone else. Especially in remote recruiting, there should be mechanisms for identity verification (e.g. video interviews with live document validation).
Shadow IT by External Recruiters
When recruiters or headhunters use insecure tools to store or transmit candidate data, a massive risk arises. Companies should make sure that their partners use secure systems and are contractually bound to comply. One way to do that is by employing an enterprise app store with a whitelist of secure apps.
Insecure End Devices in the Home Office
Recruiting teams that work from different locations often use private devices or devices that are not fully managed. A professional device solution ensures that all end devices are encrypted, centrally managed and always up to date with the latest security patches.
Social Engineering via LinkedIn & Co
Hackers pose as recruiters to gain access to sensitive company information (e.g. by sending fake job offers to employees). HR teams should be trained to recognize suspicious requests.
DaaS Solutions for Maximum Mobile Security
Managed solutions minimize risks by enforcing strict security policies for all devices. By choosing managed services, companies gain peace of mind, knowing their data stays protected while employees stay productive. At the same time, the IT department stays in the pilot seat, without having to execute every small operational detail.
Managed devices provide a level of security, control, and efficiency that personal devices, purchased devices, or device leasing simply can’t match. With company-managed devices, businesses ensure that every laptop, tablet, or smartphone meets security standards—equipped with encryption, remote management, and automatic updates.
More Security, More Sustainability, More Employer Branding
DaaS providers such as Everphone offer comprehensive DaaS rental packages that are need-based, meaning you only deploy the devices that are actually required.
This is not only economically meaningful, but also ecologically, because decommissioned devices are strategically being refurbished or recycled. This prolongs the devices’ overall useful service life.
And what about the employees’ expectation towards a performant device? This can be effortlessly fulfilled. And not only that—with the proper configuration, the smartphones and tablets can be used for private purposes as well, because private applications and data will be stored separately from the encrypted business workspace on the devices. Employees therefore do not need two different phones for private and business usage–one will do just fine.
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