ThycoticCentrify released a new survey indicating that about 79 percent of remote workers engaged in “at least one risky activity over the past year.” The report, entitled “Cyber Security Team’s Guide: Balancing Risk, Security and Productivity,” was compiled by Sapio Research, and asked more than 8,000 employees about various attitudes related to cybersecurity. Breakdown was 81 percent full-time to 19 percent part-time workers, all working in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, Japan, India, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.
Most-common “risky” behavior included saving passwords in one’s browser (35 percent), using a single password to access multiple sites (32 percent) and connecting a personal device to the corporate network (23 percent).
Of note, Sapio concluded that – despite 86 percent of respondents acknowledging some degree of cybersecurity risk – about 48 percent received no form of cybersecurity training from their employer. Despite this statistic, approximately 26 percent of U.S. workers surveyed saw “fairly low to very low” risk in allowing family members to use a company device; 39 percent saw no issue with accessing a work system over a public Wi-Fi connection and 14 percent citing “role-based access controls” as a priority network security measure instituted by their company.
In all, 98 percent of those surveyed were aware of some risky activity, such as clicking on unknown links or sharing credentials, while only 16 percent believes their organization is at “high risk” for a cybersecurity attack.
“We’d urge employers to redouble efforts to encourage the best possible digital security practices in staff and remind them of the risks of failing to secure networks,” said ThycoticCentrify Chief Security Scientist and Advisory Chief Information Security Officer, Joseph Carson. “A ransomware attack or major breach has major consequences which can last for years, so every organization needs to establish security processes and work to ensure they resonate with employees.”
