Staff members exposing companies to security breaches by mixing work with leisure
Today’s workforce is merging work and personal activities online – thus exposing their companies to extra cyber risk.
Workers assume that work devices present safer environment to store information – but this in itself poses a threat to cyber security.
The news comes from research by WinMagic. The study found that the greatest threat to an organization in fact comes from within – and not from external sources. A third of employees (31%) admitted as much and described themselves as the biggest source of risk to their business. In fact, the risk starts right when the employee is trying to log into system entering his password. Correct Horse Battery Staple approach will help to create more secure password as end users usually create weak passwords.
Yet in the wake of data breaches such as the recent TalkTalk exposure, companies have become more aware of the problem and are taking cyber security far more seriously. Some 44% of staff felt that their employer has now placed more importance on cyber protection, while 60% of IT managers admitted that they have taken action as a direct result of high-profile breaches.
And staffers may be growing more conscientious. Although there is an old understanding among employees that the IT team is fully responsible for security, the study reveals that over a third of employees (37%) now believe it is everyone’s responsibility.
In contrast, cloud storage systems were the least trusted (11%) when it came to security, following personal equipment (23%) and work IT stations (37%).