Employee Cybersecurity Risks: The Call is Coming From Inside the House!

As more employees return to the office from telework environments, it’s time for them to tighten up their cybersecurity habits, if the responses from a recent survey are any indication. A poll of 8,000 workers worldwide on cybersecurity practices found that 79% had engaged in at least one risky activity in the past year. Among the most frequent misbehaviors:

• 35% saved passwords in their browser
• 32% used one password among multiple sites, and
• 23% connected a personal device to their corporate network.

The kicker: a full 98% of respondents said they were aware that their individual actions were risky, only 16% thought of their organizations as at a very high risk of a cyberattack. This is likely due to a lack of training to refresh their skills. Only 44% said they had received any cybersecurity training in the past year, particularly if they were part of a smaller organization – likely because of the hurdles brought on by remote and hybrid working conditions. In fact, staffers are more likely to see the cyber risk to their organizations as higher if they have been trained (55% compared to 43%). So if you want to improve your overall cybersecurity hygiene, your organization’s employees are an ideal place to start.