A new study by Hornetsecurity has found that 33% of companies do not conduct any cybersecurity training for users working remotely. The lack of knowledge increases the risk.
The study also reveals that nearly three-quarters (74%) of remote workers have access to critical data, posing a greater security risk for organizations in the new, increasingly hybrid workforce.
challenges and risks
The independent survey, which included 925 IT professionals from various industries and company sizes worldwide, has also highlighted the security management challenges and cybersecurity risks faced by remote workers. The research has identified two main issues that lead to risks: on the one hand, employees have access to critical data, but on the other hand, not enough training is provided on how to deal with cyber security or how to reduce the risk of a cyber attack or a security breach.
“Increasing cybersecurity measures for remote work is especially important in the current climate as cybercriminals become more inventive and use careless remote users to their advantage. We are seeing an increase in attacks on smartphones in particular, as hackers have recognized that people also do their work on private devices and that these contain both private and professional data," Daniel Hofmann continues.
Remote work security issues
While companies have adapted to the new ways of working, many of the cybersecurity risks associated with remote work remain unresolved. Almost a fifth of IT professionals (18%) say employees are not secure when working remotely, yet three quarters of employees (74%) have access to critical data. Not surprisingly, 14% of respondents said they had been victims of remote work-related cybersecurity incidents. Remote work is not only classified as problematic among professionals. Unfortunately, companies and people are also experiencing the effects of lack of protection and poor management of remote workplaces.
A lack of knowledge increases the risk
The study also revealed that employees lack understanding, trust and knowledge of cybersecurity when working remotely. Almost half (43%) of IT professionals rate their confidence in their remote work security measures as “moderate” or worse, with the survey also finding that “uncontrolled file sharing” is a common cause of cybersecurity incidents (January 16, XNUMX). %).
Companies can sustainably reduce the risks associated with cyber security through education and training measures. Hornetsecurity's security awareness training, for example, helps companies strengthen their human firewall.
Use of endpoint management
Strong systems to protect employees are essential. The study found that the top causes of cybersecurity incidents are compromised endpoints (28%) and compromised credentials (28%). Additionally, 15% of respondents said employees use their own devices with a specific endpoint configuration for remote work. This makes it clear that security awareness education and training, as well as investment in endpoint management systems, are essential for holistic remote enterprise cybersecurity.
More at Hornetsecurity.com
About Hornetsecurity Hornetsecurity is the leading German cloud security provider for e-mail in Europe and protects the IT infrastructure, digital communication and data of companies and organizations of all sizes. The security specialist from Hanover provides its services via 10 redundantly secured data centers around the world. The product portfolio includes all important areas of e-mail security, from spam and virus filters to legally compliant archiving and encryption, to defense against CEO fraud and ransomware. Hornetsecurity has around 200 employees at 12 locations around the world and operates with its international dealer network in more than 30 countries.