Poor Cybersecurity Behaviors Prevalent Amongst UK Remote Workers

Nearly a quarter (23%) of UK office workers rely on unauthorized devices to work from home, a new study by CybSafe has found.

The research revealed that poor personal cybersecurity practices are commonplace amongst workers operating outside of corporate environments, which is worrying as home working is expected to become far more prevalent following the COVID-19 crisis.

The survey of 600 UK workers also found that one in 10 (9%) share their work devices with other people in their household.

One in five (20%) said they do not keep collaboration and video conferencing software, such as Zoom, Webex and Microsoft teams up-to-date, while 23% do not ensure software on devices connected to their home WiFi network, including work computers, are updated.

These bad habits could be linked to a lack of adequate cybersecurity training for staff, according to the report, with 65% of workers revealing that they have not received any training on keeping data secure when working remotely in the last six months. Additionally, only 37% of workers had received a working from home cybersecurity policy from their employer by the start of lockdown.

Oz Alashe, CEO of CybSafe, commented: “We now live in a world of borderless organizations where increasing numbers of people work remotely. Many are mobile. The lines between personal and professional are increasingly blurred, and everyone is at greater risk.

“Some staff are making cybersecurity mistakes in their homes, and businesses will need to adjust their cybersecurity approaches accordingly. What may have worked in the past doesn’t necessarily work now. Cybersecurity policy, as well as awareness and behavior change programs, will all require updates based on today’s working conditions.”

Dr John Blythe, head of behavioral science at CybSafe, added: “While our latest research suggests that many UK businesses have been forthcoming with changes to cybersecurity strategy, these haven’t taken place on the scale that we would have hoped for.”

In June, a study by CyberArk found that employee work from home habits are putting businesses at greater risk of cyber-attack.