Lockdown: Half Of Organisations Are Having Cyber Security Problems

Half of all organisations experienced security incidents associated with remote working during the lockdown period, according to a Report by data security experts at Tessian.  In the survey of 1000 workers in the UK and 1000 workers in the US, a quarter admitted to clicking on a link in a phishing email whilst at work. 

When the world went into lockdown, ways of working changed significantly and now business leaders must decide whether the future of work is remote, office-based, or a combination of the two.

Whatever the decision, companies are going to have to make significant changes to how they run their business,to take account of employees’ expectations for a level of flexibility that enables them to work however and wherever they want. This will have huge implications for corporate cyber security teams.

Tessian's report 'Securing the Future of Hybrid Working' finds  that phishing is the largest threat when employees work remotely. 

• Nearly two-thirds of US and UK employees (65%) said they received a phishing email during the remote working period that was enforced by the global COVID-19 pandemic. 

• While remote working was a predisposing factor for cyber-attacks, the Tessian found that most employees prefer hybrid working environments, with just 11% exclusively preferring office work.

• Three quarters of IT decision-makers believed that hybrid or remote working was the future of the workplace where this type of  working environment allows employees to choose between working in the office or at remote locations of their choice.

• 85% of IT leaders surveyed believe that hybrid and remote working plans led to an increase in the number of security incidents recorded between March and July 2020.

• Over a quarter of businesses (27%) experienced more security breaches caused by insider threats between March and July 2020 compared to the five months before the pandemic. 

Employees were under increased stress and many were laid off or lost their jobs and Tessian found that   IT leaders think that being outside of their normal office environment might play a role in this.

• 78% believe their company is at greater risk of insider threats when employees are working remotely. 

• Tiredness (43%) and distraction (41%) are also significant factors when it comes to making mistakes.

With remote working set to continue for the foreseeable future, organisations will need to develop new health approaches. Many studies over the last few months have shown that employees feel they have to work longer hours when at home. Now remote working may become part of the future working model and security teams will need to adapt and implement robust and sustainable security controls.

TESSIAN:        Enterrprise Time:       Infosecurity Magazine:    CPO Magazine: 

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