Corporate exchange email pushed passcode requirement

[TSKY74]

Hi all,

So I had connected my iphone to my companies exhange server and have been able to sync with my work emails, contacts, and calendar. Today, I got a pop up notice saying that I need to use a passcode in order to continue to receive corporate emails on my phone. Note, the corporate phones have Mobile Iron installed and it requires the user to use a passcode. My phone is not a company phone, but instead, I manually connected using the exchange server email.

My question: I guess it's possible for my company to push requirements through Exchange, but what else could they do? I don't mind using a passcode, but would not want them to be able track my phone and what I do. Is this even possible?

 

[whtrbt7]

Yes, they can track you but why would they even care? If you use contacts, calendar, or emails via exchange, they can track those activities. If you use MDM software on your mobile, they can track even more data such as GPS, calls, URLs visited, and keystrokes.

 

[bradl]

Yes, they can track you but why would they even care? If you use contacts, calendar, or emails via exchange, they can track those activities. If you use MDM software on your mobile, they can track even more data such as GPS, calls, URLs visited, and keystrokes.

It is reasons like this that I keep my personal phone and my work phone and email separate. Sucks that I have to carry around 2 iPhones, but I surely don't want my job to have access to my personal info.

BL.

 

[TSKY74]

Thanks for the reply. What's MDM if you don't mind me asking? Are you talking about Mobile Iron? That's not on my phone. All I have done is connected my personal iphone to the corporate exchange server via the email app. I don't care if they track what emails I send/etc, since its company related information. Just didn't think going through exchange server they can track my phone activity, other than my use of the exchange server (if that makes any sense). For example, my games, web surfing, Facebook, etc.

 

[aristobrat]

My question: I guess it's possible for my company to push requirements through Exchange, but what else could they do?

Here's the list:

http://help.apple.com/iosdeployment-exchange/mac/1.1/#exchange2e5930c

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If you use MDM software on your mobile, they can track even more data such as GPS, calls, URLs visited, and keystrokes.

FWIW

MDM cannot see

Personal mail, calendar, contacts
SMS or iMessages
Safari browser history
FaceTime or phone call logs
Personal reminders and notes
Frequency of app use
Device location

http://www.apple.com/iphone/business/it-center/deployment-mdm.html#privacy

 

[joeblow7777]

I don't know much about this sort of thing, so please forgive me if I'm being naive, but I don't see how having a built on requirement to have a certain level of security on your phone in order for it to sync with your work email implies that your employer has any access to your phone's activities whatsoever.

 

[aristobrat]

I don't know much about this sort of thing, so please forgive me if I'm being naive, but I don't see how having a built on requirement to have a certain level of security on your phone in order for it to sync with your work email implies that your employer has any access to your phone's activities whatsoever.

If you use Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to connect to your work's email, that protocol gives them some ability to manage your device.

This link shows the capabilities that they have on your iOS device, depending on which version of Exchange they're running:
http://help.apple.com/iosdeployment-exchange/mac/1.1/#exchange2e5930c

IMO, it's fairly basic stuff, and it exists on pretty much any smartphone OS that uses Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync (like Android, Windows Mobile, etc).

 

[TSKY74]

Thanks everyone for your information provided. Greatly appreciated! I'll read up on the links you all provided too.

 

[joeblow7777]

If you use Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to connect to your work's email, that protocol gives them some ability to manage your device.

This link shows the capabilities that they have on your iOS device, depending on which version of Exchange they're running:
http://help.apple.com/iosdeployment-exchange/mac/1.1/#exchange2e5930c

IMO, it's fairly basic stuff, and it exists on pretty much any smartphone OS that uses Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync (like Android, Windows Mobile, etc).

Still, those seem to just be meant to ensure standards of security on a device which will be used to access company information. I don't see anything to suggest that they can track you or access your personal messages. That just seems paranoid.

 

[whtrbt7]

MDM is Mobile Device Management Software. Depending on what gets installed, there are ways to access information on your mobile device. If you don't have any MdM installed, they can only monitor what you use on Exchange. They can't see any other information because exchange doesn't have access to other info. There are ways to access certain types of information via MDM which can almost act like a Trojan. Most companies won't use this type of MDM unless absolutely necessary.

Thanks for the reply. What's MDM if you don't mind me asking? Are you talking about Mobile Iron? That's not on my phone. All I have done is connected my personal iphone to the corporate exchange server via the email app. I don't care if they track what emails I send/etc, since its company related information. Just didn't think going through exchange server they can track my phone activity, other than my use of the exchange server (if that makes any sense). For example, my games, web surfing, Facebook, etc.