According to new research, many companies do not provide their remote workers with any cybersecurity awareness training, even though these workers have access to proprietary company data.
A report by Hornetsecurity that surveyed nearly XNUMX IT professionals working at companies of all sizes across the globe found that one-third (thirty-three%) don't offer any cybersecurity awareness training to their remote staff.
At the same time, 3-quarters (seventy-four%) of these remote workers have access to critical data, which could put their employers in greater danger of devastating and costly cyber incidents.
Basic training to the rescue
The report also suggests that IT teams are aware of the situation they find themselves in, with nearly half (forty-three%) of IT professionals rating their confidence in their deep-rooted security measures as "moderate in The best case". Some (XNUMX%) think that "uncontrolled file sharing" was a common cause of computer incidents.
The dangers could only grow, as the report found that nearly half (XNUMX%) of companies plan to increase the percentage of their staff working remotely in the future.
To address the issue, Hornetsecurity says companies need to do the obvious: increase education and training, especially basic training, which could "significantly" improve an organization's cybersecurity posture.
In addition, companies must have "robust systems" to protect their employees. Compromised endpoints (opens in a new tab) (XNUMX%) and compromised credentials (XNUMX%) were the top sources of cybersecurity incidents, he said. In addition to this, XNUMX% stated that employees use their devices for work, but with "some end-to-end configuration".
“Traditional methods of corporate data security and control are not as effective when employees work in remote locations and the greatest responsibility falls on the individual. Companies need to recognize the unique hazards associated with working remotely and activate relevant security management systems, such as training employees to address a certain level of risk,” said Daniel Hofmann, director of Hornetsecurity.
“Increasing shadow work cybersecurity measures is particularly essential in today's time, as cybercriminals are getting smarter and using shadow work to their advantage. We've seen an increase in attacks on smartphones as hackers realize that personal and work data is likely to be accessed as people can, and often do, work on personal devices. »