Remote workers still pose a number of cybersecurity risks!
Despite being the “new normal” for nearly three years, remote and hybrid working remains a serious cybersecurity problem for organizations of all sizes, according to recent research.
According to a survey conducted by Lookout, 3,000 hybrid and remote workers from the US, UK, Germany and France revealed that almost all (92%) still work on their personal mobile devices. Even more impressive is that almost half (43%) admitted to doing so despite having company-issued equipment!
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In fact, a staggering 56% of people perform both their work and personal tasks on a single device. Additionally, 45% use the same password for their work and personal accounts – while 47% use corporate software to manage their private activities.
The convenience of modern technology often comes at the expense of security.
57% of employees have admitted to sending emails from their work accounts to personal addresses for convenience, and 43% admitted to frequently downloading, saving or sending work- to these private accounts.
Unfortunately, the risk doesn’t stop with the equipment. Nine out of ten remote and hybrid workers work outside their home, which poses an even greater risk to organizations. Without the right security measures in place, these workers put their organization’s data and networks at great risk with every activity conducted outside their home.
Co-working spaces, hotels, outdoor spaces, someone else's home, and coffee shops are the top five places to work for most people. A staggering 67%, 65%, 56%, 52%, and 51% of employees prefer these environments, respectively.
According to the report, a worrying 31% of remote workers tend to overlook necessary safety protocols when working from home.
See also: Remote Work: How do employees make the most of the time they save?
Researchers warn that the sharp increase in cybersecurity incidents over the past three years can be attributed to the widespread adoption of remote and hybrid working.
This is mainly because these workers are no longer under the protection of their corporate networks and IT teams. Additionally, remote working means a much larger threat landscape, with significantly more endpoints that need to be secured.
Information source: techradar.com
