Chubb: 33 Percent of Remote Workers Not Prepared for Cyber Threats Due to COVID-19

New data by market analyst Chubb reveals that, as pertains to cybersecurity, many US workers are not well-enough prepared to address cyber threats due to recent changes that came about as a result of COVID-19.

According to the insurance firm’s “Fourth Cyber Report,” approximately 33 percent of respondents have not made significant enough strides to protect their personal or corporate data, with the remaining two-thirds being “somewhat or very concerned” about possible cyber breaches.

The figures, it should be noted, remain largely static when compared to 2019’s pre-pandemic numbers.

“COVID-19 has fundamentally reshaped every aspect of our lives,” said Fran O’Brien, the Division President of Chubb North America Personal Risk Services. “One of the most understated, yet compelling, impacts of the pandemic has been the risks associated with our personal cyber habits.”

Other findings include nearly 50 percent of workers physically relocating during the height of COVID-19. Of those who changed locations, 62 percent changed their passwords, 43 percent employed a VPN, and 43 percent logged out of all handles when shifting from where they worked. An additional 71 percent of those surveyed prefer to work remotely “most or all of the time.”

Chubb also focused on factors such as medical data and vaccines as relates to cyber vulnerability, with 63 percent of individuals feeling compelled to share their vaccination status and 57 percent concerned with having to do so.

More surprisingly, just 12 percent of respondents bought some form of a personal cyber insurance policy over the last year.

Data was pulled from 1,208 surveys received from US workers between February 11-25, 2021.