OneLogin, one of the world's leading companies in the field of identity and access management, today published a new global study examining the IT security implications of the increasing change on remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study of 5.000 home office workers from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the United States shows that common security measures and tried and tested password procedures are often neglected in many regions. The full study is below http://onelogin.com/blog/world-password-day-2020 .
Almost one in five (17,4%) of the people surveyed around the world gave the password for their work device to either their spouse or their child and thus possibly disclosed company information. External threats are also a factor: 36% of people surveyed worldwide said they had not changed their home WiFi password in more than a year. Company devices can be exposed to a potential security breach.
With the trend to do more work from home, potential security gaps are usually ignored
The speed with which it was necessary to switch to working from home from March 2020 has made many companies vulnerable, especially when it comes to using work equipment for personal purposes. The majority of employees working from home worldwide (63%) expect that companies will continue to rely more on remote work even after the pandemic. If this trend continues, many companies are unwittingly putting corporate data at risk.
"Now with millions of people working from home, businesses everywhere are facing unprecedented challenges," said Brad Brooks, CEO and president of OneLogin. "Passwords pose one of the greatest risks in the home office environment and - as our study shows - are the weakest link when it comes to protecting customers and company data from illegal access."
A closer look at security practices in each country reveals differences in password sharing, willingness to access high-risk websites, and much more. The study came to the following conclusion:
- Risky Websites: US employees access risky websites from employers' devices three times more than French workers.
- Home Networks: US workers are more likely than any other country to have changed their WiFi password in the past month.
- Device Security: 14% of US remote workers have never changed their passwords on their company device.
- Shadow IT: A third of US respondents downloaded an app onto their work device without permission.
- Password sharing: 1 in 5 (21%) US workers have shared a work-related password electronically - more than twice as many as in the UK (7,8%)
“This global study of remote working shows the importance of ensuring the right people have access to internal and customer data at all times. But it also underscores the importance of empowering employees and the entire organization with the best possible privacy and security practices,” says Brooks.
The OneLogin Trusted Experience Platform is a platform with which simple and secure connections can be established between employees and the technology used.
Via OneLogin
OneLogin is the platform for secure, scalable and smart identity authentication that connects people and technology. With the OneLogin Trusted Experience Platform, customers can connect all of their applications, identify potential threats and act quickly. OneLogin, headquartered in San Francisco, ensures security for over 2.500 customers worldwide, including Airbus, Stitch Fix and AAA.
More information at www.onelogin.com.