Be Wary of Data Leakage

Data leakage can occur in multiple ways, and most people are guilty of it: You download an app, get it up and running, skim through the end user licensing agreement (EULA), and don't realize you're enabling the app to have access to your contacts, camera, microphone, and/or a "whole host" of other capabilities and information, Verizon's Robinson says.

"Think about what you're actually enabling as it relates to applications," he continues. "Does a horoscope application really need access to your contacts?"

The other side of data leakage occurs around shadow IT. Employees often download PDF viewers, collaboration tools, and other productivity software without realizing they've agreed to their data being stored elsewhere, even offshore. "Are you OK with authorizing a third party to have access to that data?" Robinson adds. Employees should assume all their data is being stored elsewhere; if they do, they may act in a different way than if their data were kept private.

He also cautions against using free applications, pointing to social media apps' data harvesting as an example of how these companies monetize. With free apps, there's a greater probability of accessing malicious content you didn't mean to access. "Things are a little tighter when you're actually paying for an application," Robinson says of security practices.