Cyber security is a hot topic at the moment. The vast majority of companies are more exposed to cyber attacks than they need to be and surprisingly, their employees are at the root of this. Many employees have a number of bad habits and a lack of awareness about security which can leave their employers at risk of a cyber breach. We recently conducted research which highlights this.
The research suggests that employees are bombarded with potential cyber threats in their private lives and are quite savvy about how to avoid them. However, when it comes to work situations they don’t realise that they still need to be security aware. As a result, staff are inadvertently leaving their companies cyber doors wide open to attack.
Are you guilty of carrying out any of these simple, but dangerous, acts?
Which of the following have you experienced in the past 12 months?
- A scam email purporting to be from a friend – 17%
- A scam on Facebook – 12%
- Clicking a link putting a virus on your PC – 7%
- A fake email from PayPal, Apple or your bank – 29%
- Someone using your credit card details – 3%
- Someone calling about a problem with your PC – 16%
Which of the following have you done?
- Used someone else’s USB stick on my work PC – 7%
- Used public Wi-Fi for work – 16%
- Written down my password – 17%
- Downloaded apps to a work phone – 5%
- Opened attachments from unknown senders – 5%
- Transferred work documents via unsecure apps – 2%
- Used the same password for different apps – 23%
- Let someone use my work computer – 10%
- Looked at social media sites on my work PC – 15%
Figures based on 1512 survey responses
What can be done?
Employers need to be aware of the ongoing threat cyber security poses. Due to the increased use of internet in both our personal and work life, it is an issue that is not going to go away. Indeed, checks and balances that once existed in the office environment, are no longer needed. For example, employees do not have to ask the gatekeeper in finance or HR for a confidential document, it is easily accessible at the click of a button. That is why it is crucial that employees access permissions are correctly set and that they understand the risks associated with a simple slip up, such as using public Wi-Fi.
To provide you with some of the help you need, we have brought together fifteen cyber security experts to reveal useful and practical insights. To find out more, you can download our full report for free: cyber security: How real is the threat and how can you reduce your risk?
Norrie Johnston Recruitment is focused on filling senior permanent and interim executive roles, using a mix of technology plus, importantly, traditional search, employing best of breed recruiters who have real-world business experience. It argues that this combination of technology-enabled, top recruiters together with senior executive experience means the agency can provide hand-picked short lists of perfectly matched senior interim candidates within 2-4 days while for permanent roles the timeframe from brief to short list is 2-4 weeks. For more information about Norrie Johnston Recruitment visit www.NorrieJohnstonRecruitment.com or call 01962 828 792